beware of eco-label on consumer products
We see a lot of green components on labels of consumer products, as product marketers try to sell us to sustainability. Do you ever wonder whether the eco-labels are legitiment or, in many cases, even meaningful? You can check out the “report cards” for common green labels at the Consumer Report’s Green Choices Eco-Label Centre! You will be able to find out what it means when labels like “no alcohol in bathing foam” or “seafood safe” mean under the following categories:
| How meaningful is the label? | Is the label verified? | Is the meaning of the label consistent? | Are the label standards publicly available? | Is information about the organization publicly available? | Is the organization free from conflict of interest? | Was the label developed with broad public and industry input? |
They cautioned that we should be thinking about these questions when we see eco-labels:
Meaningful and verifiable;
Consistent and clear;
Transparency;
Independent and protected from conflict of interest; and
Opportunities for public comment.
This website is great and I recommend everyone going to take a look! If you find something particularly interesting, please share!
Tags: buying culture, climate change, Climate Change Tool, shop to sustainability
shop to sustainability | flo | 
March 16, 2009 12:16 pm
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