2 minute read
Health – don’t get caught up in the spin of greenwashing
Don’t be ‘greenwashed’
Just because a company says it's ‘eco-friendly’ and ‘pro-environment’ and does its best to be sustainable, it doesn't really mean that it is! We’ve all heard of brainwashing, well this is greenwashing, when brands who make green claims are no better than the average company. They’ve marketed themselves as ecologically aware and active, but often these claims are false or skewed in their favour. To be fair, it’s difficult to define a true eco-friendly company. The main product might be created from all organic ingredients (almost impossible), but the production line might be fuelled with diesel and the end product air freighted thousands of miles to global markets. Add in some glamorous packaging and your ecopoints are right down the drain. Companies that support, or are vocal, about climate change are also lauded for being sustainable or ethical. But be careful, many pay lip service to environmental issues; these are fantastic public relations exercises for them and charitable donations can be huge tax write-offs. A well-known body product for stretch marks has a base ingredient of mineral oil, also known as liquid paraffin derived from petroleum. But its name implies an all-natural product. In fact, only four of this product’s 29 ingredients are plant extracts. Another high street favourite uses synthetic perfumes to attain its heady scents. Not as lush as it sounds, eh? The words ‘organic’ or ‘all natural’ can be used on skin care products freely, as there’s no benchmark for these statements in this country. You can use as little as 1% of an organic product in your end product and get away with it! The key is to look for Soil Association Certification, which is the gold standard. They review the entire manufacturing process, including sourcing of ingredients, formulation, packaging and premises. Check out their website for more information. When you're trying to work out whether the product you're buying is really ethical and is being open and transparent, don't stop at reading a company’s own PR blurb; do your homework, dig a little deeper and only buy when you’re happy that that you’re not falling for the hype.
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