The Feds are Fed-up with Green Marketing Claims.

Sorry Kermit, according to the Federal Trade Commission, it’s too easy being green.  And they’re going to do something about it (sound of foot stomping).  This week at a hearing entitled just that,  “It’s too easy being green,” the House subcommittee on commerce, trade and consumer protection presented a concise summary about environmentally – themed marketing claims and suggested that the rules get “significantly tougher” in coming years.

Well, it’s about time. Green has to mean something more than pretty little pictures of forests and flowers on the bottle of your shampoo.  When launching a truly organic (and biodynamic) personal care product for a client, I got to know some of the dirty little secrets of this unregulated field. Did you know that when you see claims like “70% organic” blazoned across the label of a certain shampoo by certain manufacturer, most of the “organic” they are talking about is the water in their product?  Is that misleading or what? Hair washing and greenwashing in one bottle. 

I am happy that new rules are being structured.  The Canadians did it a long time ago. And that’s good news for start-ups that tend to lean more green than the bigger guys.  If we want green to be more than a fad, consumers of all shades of green need to have confidence in the products and services they buy.  And when they do, watch your green brand turn into gold.    

– Carolyn    

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