Photo by cmariani

Weeding out “greenwashers” from companies that strive to be “green” can be difficult for the average consumer. There are a number of dedicated companies with policies and practices in place which make your health and the health of our environment a top priority.

Here are ten companies that deserve to call themselves green:

1) On the Fly

Their Ecovending SmartKarts run on battery power and offer locally produced environmentally friendly foods in the Washington, D.C. area. On the Fly’s decision to use local suppliers reduces their carbon footprint and provides support for the local economy. Their takeout bags are made from cornstarch, food arrives packaged in bamboo containers and utensils are made from potato based products. By providing free range chicken, organic produce, and snacks such as protein drinks and bars, On the Fly is a great example that “fast food” can be healthy.

2) Ecover

Photo by bartclaeys

Ecover provides earth friendly, household cleaning products. Their products are non-toxic and made with plant based, biodegradable ingredients. Each product is made in sustainable factories built from environmentally respectable materials. Ecover’s original Belgium-based factory has a grass roof providing temperature and noise insulation throughout the year. The factory gets some of its power from wind turbines in the area and surrounds itself by plants native to the area.

3) TerraCycle

TerraCycle believes there is no such thing as garbage and thus, creates products from waste. Their well known fertilizer is made out of worm excrement (poop) and packaged in used plastic soda bottles. In fact, all of their products are packaged in waste right down to the cardboard boxes which are made from other companies’ misprints that would otherwise end up in the garbage. TerraCycle’s concept and practices are leading the way for ecologically and sociably responsible sustainability.

4) Pangea Organics

Photo by angiology

Pangea Organics makes an organic skin care line whose plant-based gels are made entirely without petrochemicals, parabens, and other synthetic ingredients. Their products also come packaged in environmentally friendly, 100% post consumer paper boxes that can be soaked in water, planted in your garden, and turned into a plant

5) Frogpond Farm

These makers of the only certified organic wines in Ontario use renewable energy to power their winery. Their wines are a healthier alternative without skimping on taste.

6) Costa Rica Naturals Ecopaper

This company provides buyers with tree free paper made from sustainable materials such as bananas, coffee and tobacco. It provides a great way to save trees which prevents further destruction of endangered forests.

7) Seventh Generation

This company provides consumers with a complete line of nontoxic household products. They produce paper products that are processed chlorine free (PCF) and are made from 100% recycled materials- minimum 80% post consumer. Their eco-friendly cleaning supplies are biodegradable, nontoxic, chlorine free, and made with no petroleum based solvents.

8 ) Morse-Brown Design

Morse-Brown Design is a British graphic design agency with a strong environmental conscience. Their electricity comes from 100% renewable sources. The company uses a solar powered charger to charge cell phones. All employees bike, walk or take the train to work each day. For clients and workers, all coffee and tea supplied are fair trade products. They also use recycled paper when printing.

9) ThinkHost

This web hosting service is 100% powered by the wind and sun. Rather than driving to work every day, employees work from home saving thousands of gallons of fuel. The company keeps electronic records of all their business information, which reduces waste and the unnecessary destruction of trees for paper.

10) Nature’s Path

Nature’s Path makes a wide range of organic cereal products. They are committed to sustainable practices and provide healthier products for consumers. This company saves electricity by installing sun lights rather than traditional lighting in their office.

Numerous companies exist with the same green spirit and eco-friendly concerns. Others are making small strides, realizing that sustainability is a necessity in every business model. As long as concerned, informed consumers continue to support these businesses, we will see more changes in the marketplace and hopefully “green” will be the standard, not the exception.

As consumers become more interested in the need to protect our environment, corporations recognize this and are taking advantage of our desire to make environmentally friendly changes.

What some corporations are doing is greenwashing - A practice where companies create an environmentally friendly image to the public to boost sales.

At the same time, they downplay or ignore harmful corporate policies and the hidden dangers in their products.

The following list highlights some of what I find most offensive.

Clorox Green Works

In January 2008, Clorox launched a new line of cleaning products called Green Works. They claim their line is “at least 99 percent natural”. What’s in the other 1 percent?

One answer: Kathon, a petroleum-derived preservative used in Clorox’s Green Works product line. They also use the unregulated term “natural” to define their product rather than having a legitimate third-party certification.

Nestle’s Poland Springs “Eco Shaped” water bottle

Yes it uses 30 percent less plastic than traditional bottles, but the energy that goes into creating and transporting bottled water is wasteful. Plus most recyclable bottles end up buried in landfills and may never breakdown .

Nestle recently secured a permit to extract millions of liters of groundwater in Ontario, Canada despite concerns of surface water being drawn underground as a result.

BP

From British Petroleum to Beyond Petroleum, this company successfully spent tens of millions on an aggressive ad campaign highlighting how they will fuel the future cleanly while creating a green image. Their ads fail to mention how much they pollute and how little they spend on alternative energy despite record profits.

In 2007, BP decided to invest in Canada’s oil sands despite the company’s self-imposed ban on the production of crude oil from tar sands. This change in policy has led Greenpeace to state that this is “the biggest environmental crime in history.”

Toyota

Toyota claims all the green credibility in the automotive sector due to its hybrid Prius and their Why Not? ad campaign that asks, “Can a car company grow in harmony with the environment? Why not?” They forget to mention that they lobbied against improved fuel economy standards until pressured from thousands of customers and environmental groups.

Aveda

Aveda is a company that highlights the natural content of its beauty products and sustainable production methods. However, many of its products contain the same harmful chemicals as their competitors.

Just take a look at the contents in their hairspray.

Scott’s

This lawn fertilizer company, has created a new line of products called EcoSense to counter the damage done by their synthetic products. Fertilizers end up in lakes and rivers causing serious damage to the ecosystem. Pesticides accumulate in human tissue and can cause serious health problems. This has led to lawn chemical bans in many places.

Scott’s plans to counter this by selling vinegar in a bottle as a weed killer.

Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart is an easy target for just about anything. They have made significant efforts in reducing energy use and waste throughout their operations. However, their entire business model relies on people buying cheap, imported products and driving to their stores to get them. Also, since they are such a massive business, many of their initiatives could be driven by cost and public relations (PR) rather than environmental concerns.

Exxon

Exxon is another easy target.

They recently launched a new ad campaign basically recognizing climate change and their concerns. Exxon has continually funded groups that have attempted to discredit climate change science rather than scientifically disprove it or find solutions.

Let’s not forget the Exxon Valdez oil spill and their court battles trying to evade paying damages.

A Supreme Court ruling allowed Exxon to get off with only paying 500 million dollars in damages, the equivalent of a week’s profit!

IKEA

Ikea generally gets good marks on the environment but they have sent me junk mail that promotes their parking spaces reserved for hybrids or cars that get specified mileage. Just another retailer that relies on and promotes the suburban, consumer lifestyle.

The Nuclear Power Industry

The Nuclear Power Industry gets full marks for greenwashing by promoting themselves as an alternative energy source because they do not emit greenhouse gases while generating electricity. In Canada they promote themselves as clean, reliable and affordable.

I’m not an expert on the reliable, but I don’t consider nuclear waste clean nor do I consider multi-billion dollar plants that run over budget to be affordable. Maybe they are creating a new mythology about nuclear energy.

Greenwashing is spreading to about every product or service. Businesses are realizing that promoting any “green” aspect to their products enhances their brand and can generate sales. Consumers can vote with their wallets and call out the companies that greenwash so we can weed out the weak claims and increase credibility for the real green businesses.

As always, buyer beware.

Photo credits in order

Greenwashing by dsain (Creative Commons)

Poland Springs “New Eco-Shape Bottle” by Clampants(Creative Commons)

Giving It Up for GAS by bitzcelt(Creative Commons)

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