Green Washed!
How to cut through the marketing hype and make better choices
Sneak a peak in my bathroom cabinet and you might think I was a certified 'Greenie' – well not quite – but I do consciously choose products labeled 'natural' or 'environmentally friendly'. Does this mean I am helping the environment? Perhaps. Perhaps not.
Like thousands of Australians I may just be a victim of 'Green Washing' a term used to describe products that are marketed as far greener than they really are.
And what about my 'certified organic' body wash? You might be surprised to learn that Eco-cert only requires 10% of all ingredients be organic to be 'certified organic'. Shockingly there is no requirement that the ingredients be skin friendly!
So what can we do to protect ourselves from green washing at the beauty counter?
1. Look past the leaf motif packaging on brown and green - Some companies are responding to our purchasing habits by simply repackaging products to look greener with no environmental benefit.
2. Beware of scare mongering - Sure, there are toxins and animal derivatives that must be avoided but if an article is making inflated claims of breast cancer or mad cows disease for example its probably just a way of marketing another product that in many cases is little better for you or the environment.
3. Be sceptical of extreme claims like 'all natural' - Claims that products are 'all natural' are nearly always exaggerated as nearly all cosmetics contain synthetic ingredients.
4. Most importantly we need to be vigilant when checking labels - And if you check your labels closely enough you will find it's not all doom and gloom. There are some fantastic brands emerging with real integrity in their labeling and environmental practice.
Pod is passionate about clean washing! That is why we started using customer friendly 'ingredients' labeling. We can only hope that this kind of clarity sets an example to start reversing green washing in the beauty industry. More than anything we just need to get a standard in beauty marketing that lets the consumer make informed choices about what is right for them and ultimately the greater good. Whilst fair labeling may not be the only answer it is at least a start.
