Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Burgeoning Choice, Easier to Greenwash!


I came across an article today on
ecoAmerica that elaborates on an Advertising Age report predicting a three fold increase in the number of "sustainable goods" on the market. Great news for those of us who have been hoping that the interest in and capacity to buy such products would weather the economic downturn. Huge caveat though, who is monitoring the guidelines for the claims of "sustainability" or of the "greenness" of these products? NOBODY!!! The only folks currently fully responsible for these claims are the companies themselves. Do you trust them? Even if you do trust them, what criteria will you use to analyze the product and company sustainability? What criteria are they using?

Clearly, if we, as consumers, are going to commit to applying sustainability criteria to our purchases, we do also need to take some responsibility for ensuring that we aren't just paying a lot more for the same old same old. We at Visionary Values need to and want to hear from you regarding which criteria you feel are most important and which must be included in a detailed and fair analysis of the sustainable practices and greenness of a company and its products. Please leave your comments and we will ensure that our process of putting together a database takes these suggestions to heart.

Here is a link to the article on the consumer trends:

Another good link: 

Also, check out ecoAmerica's News and Events Blog:

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