Okay, so this post isn’t really about doing laundry or different types of detergents… although that gives me an idea for next time! Nay, this is about the dreaded “greenwashing” syndrome that plagues our advertising and makes consumers weary of hearing about the next green product that is going to “Change the World.” Greenwashing is claiming that a product or company is eco-friendly without backing it up with sustainable manufacturing practices or life-cycle analysis. (What happens after the product is no longer useful in its current iteration?)

When a company claims that they are eco-friendly or that their product is green, please don’t believe the hype and buy into what they are selling without doing a bit of research. Just how “green” is it? I’ll bet that the answer is “IT DEPENDS.” I’ll give you a good example…

Let’s look at bamboo flooring – one of the poster children for green home products. However, if you scratch beneath the green surface, you may just find some real muck. Bamboo flooring is considered eco-friendly because it is durable and a quickly-renewable resource. Those are GREAT qualities and should be a part of any green or eco-friendly product. But other issues come to light… where is most bamboo grown? In Asia. Who harvests it and are they paid fair working wages? It probably depends…. How is it shipped to the US and other countries? What kind of adhesives, binders, and processes are used to turn the bamboo into sheets of flooring? How is the waste recycled or repurposed? So is Bamboo a green flooring product? In my opinion, it could be… IF you live near where it is harvested and manufactured. So, it depends!

There are countless other questions that may help you understand that a “green” product may not be all that environmentally friendly, smart, or sustainable. No product is truly perfect, but here are a couple of things to look for if you seek truly eco-savvy products.

Cradle to Cradle Certification: The product and manufacturing processes have been analysed and they are truly sustainable in that the product will be completely useful after it’s first life is complete. Either it will naturally biodegrade, be sustainably upcycled into a new item, become “food” to sustain another product, etc…

FSC-Certified: The Forestry-Stewardship Council is an independant third party that analyses forestry practices and certifies that the wood is harvested in a way that doesn’t deplete the habitat and fosters re-growth. They also ensure that fair wages are paid to the workers and that the wood is non-toxic.

More to come… What do you consider “Green” products? Any recommendations? Feel free to comment!