How Can You Avoid Greenwashing? Start by Buying Only from Green America Approved Businesses
Guest Post by DJ Switz of GreenDeals.org. GreenDeals.org is a daily deal site providing green discounts and coupons from green approved businesses in the Green Business Network by Green America.
Change is hard. Change is inevitable.
Most importantly, change is necessary, especially when it comes to our environment.
One category that’s slowly changing for the better is the consumer goods category. Green products are becoming more widely available, but not enough people are choosing them due to their (often) higher price point.
But why is that? Why is it so hard to change the way people choose what to buy?
Inspiring change isn’t that difficult – all it takes is a well-executed appeal to the heart or head and sympathy will ensue. I think many people sympathize with the green movement, but taking that sympathy and turning it into action has proven difficult.
Why? We’re sending mixed messages! Between green, eco-friendly, sustainable and all-natural products on the market, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to know what exactly we’re buying.
That’s not even mentioning food-specific seals like 100% organic, organic, made with organic ingredients, USDA Organic, all-natural and fair-trade certified.
That’s why marketers build singular brands around a fractured cause – to speak with one voice – to provide the catalyst, the critical mass, that extra push that Malcolm Gladwell calls The Tipping Point. The message needs to be consistent, and the idea needs to be sticky enough that people will act on it.
I deal in the e-commerce section of the consumer goods category, which is similarly fragmented, and also has a variety of seals and certifications.
In this economy, it would take a lot of money to unify the many certifications, seals, and approvals. It may never happen, but it should.
One way to make sure what you are buying is really green and not just “greenwashed” is to deal with Green America approved businesses.
Green America is a non-profit organization founded in 1982 with the mission of harvesting the economic power of consumers, investors and businesses to create an environmentally sustainable society.
As a consumer, I’ve been sold on buying green products and supporting green causes for a while. When I say sold, however, I mean that I sympathized – I got it. I understood the value in sustainability. It took me a lot longer, however, to actually think critically about my purchases, and to actively support companies and brands with environmental and sustainable initiatives in place.
That’s why I’m happy to work at GreenDeals.org, because all of the products and services we offer come from only Green America Green Approved Businesses.
