Environmental Claims in Consumer Markets Summary Report North America April 2009

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TMTable of Contents1. Introduction2. Methodology & Findings3. Key Findings3.1 The Seventh Sin: The Sin of Worshiping False Labels3.2 Kids, Cosmetics and Cleaning: Products of Special RiskKids (Toys and Baby) ProductsCosmetics (Health & Beauty Products)Cleaning Products3.3 International Findings4. What Consumers Can Do5. What Marketers Can DoAppendicesA - Research MethodologyB - United States of America - Country SummaryC - Canada - Country SummaryD - United Kingdom - Country SummaryE - Australia - Country SummaryF - Resources1345778910121215171819202122iiwww.sinsofgreenwashing.org
TM1.IntroductionGreen∙wash (gren’wosh’,-wôsh’) – verb: the act of misleading consumers regardingthe environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.More than ever before, consumers are clamoring for‘greener’ products. To take better care of their familiesand their planet, they want goods and services thatare genuinely more sustainable (‘greener’ in otherwords); products they can find easily, trust implicitly,and use effectively.Manufacturers and marketers are trying to meet thisdemand. Green advertising has increased almosttenfold in the last 20 years and has nearly tripledsince 2006. (Refer to Exhibit 1.)In November of 2007, the first Six Sins ofGreenwashing 1 report was published. The reaction wasvocal, global and long-lasting. The report exposed anerve with consumers wanting to do the right thing butwho were increasingly suspicious of misleading claims.Since the first study, consumers, journalists, marketers,policymakers and activists have used the Six Sins ofGreenwashing as a tool for analyzing andunderstanding environmental claims. Both the U.S.Federal Trade Commission and Competition Bureau ofCanada have since announced their intention tooverhaul their environmental consumer protectionactivities.Exhibit 1 - Green Ads on the Rise.In this as yet unpublished study, TerraChoice researchers surveyed more than 18,000 advertisements in the backissues of Time, Fortune, National Geographic, Forbes, Sports Illustrated, and Vanity Fair.Advertisements that made environmental claims were counted and described as a percentage of the totalnumber of advertisements. For more information on this research, please email ecomarkets@terrachoice.com.www.sinsofgreenwashing.org1The 2007 study can be downloaded at www.sinsofgreenwashing.org.
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Page 3: TMExecutive SummaryIn November 2008
Page 7 and 8: TM2.Methodology & FindingsIn the mo
Page 9 and 10: TM3.1The Seventh Sin: The Sin of Wo
Page 11 and 12: TM3.2Kids, Cosmetics and Cleaning:
Page 13 and 14: TM• The second most common claim
Page 15 and 16: TMExhibit 9: Sin Frequency, Four Co
Page 17 and 18: TMAvoiding greenwashing does not me
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Page 21 and 22: TMAPPENDIX A - Research Methodology
Page 23 and 24: TMAPPENDIX C - CanadaCountry Summar
Page 25 and 26: TMAPPENDIX E - AustraliaCountry Sum

Environmental Claims in Consumer Markets Summary Report North America April 2009

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