“Earth to TransFair: Fair Trade is a Movement Not a Brand!”

It seems as though the waters of certification are trending to muddier and consumers will definitely be left with more reason(s) to question the self-appointed overseers of "ethics."

Recently, TransFair USA has applied for a name change and essentially a trademark on the term "Fair Trade USA." Why? Who really knows, but what is important is maintaining the concept of fair trade unencumbered by institutional whims and fancies and keeping its nose as clean as possible. After all, fair trade is a peoples' movement, one that must offer the consumer the best possible confirmation that its principles of dialogue, transparency and respect for humanity are completely upheld.

Check out the controversy and who supports the petition by linking to the title of this post. Then, sign the petition! Help us keep the oversight in the hands of consumers!

Survey Says...HUH?!?

A recent survey of 2,000 people shows that a virtually negligible number actually even recognize or see many of the more than 400 "green labels" which typically appear on the packages of consumer products. The good news in all of this is that if any of these label markers are disguising harmful behavior or participating in greenwashing at least very few people are falling for the message!

How do your shopping habits correlate with these results?

Do you believe that the sheer number of certifications and labels contributes to consumer inability to see the forest for the trees? Let us know!

Whadda Ya Do?!? Damaged Goods?

What happens when transparency slaps you in the face? In the case of the recent admission by the CEO of SIGG, makers of the ubiquitous (at least in green circles!) reusable water bottles, you now have your opportunity to find out. For some reason, the company decided (conscious decision) to not inform customers that earlier designs of their bottles contained "trace amounts of bisphenol A."

Now, we could take the decision to boycott the company (disassociate like Patagonia) and make them pay for their error in judgement. We could also take the time to read through the CEO's explanation and his apology and, if we really feel our power as consumers (feel it rising?!?!?), we could let him know he should never attempt this kind of stunt again. We could then inform him that we definitely approve of his growth as the head of a "green company" and that we will be watching and will encourage him to take a lead in encouraging all businesses to apply common sense safety and health standards to their products. After all, since it is our health and safety we need to protect, WE must take the initiative to hold companies accountable. Sometimes punishment is needed and other times encouragement is the best option.

Here is a link to the SIGG website regarding an exchange program.

Let them know what you think:

SIGG USA
1177 High Ridge Road
Stamford, CT 06905
(203) 321-1220

Are You Confused?

In reading this article one can quickly see that there are really no hard and fast definitions that folks can simply refer to when discussing issues of green and sustainability. Although the concepts themselves are perhaps not that complicated, they do become muddied when those who are not committed to the fundamentals begin to co-opt the use of those terms without applying them with purity.

For those of us who understand many of these tenets of sustainability, it is important to raise a voice in favor of making these definitions understandable and accessible. It is also important that we make sustainability a mainstream reality, not by making it easier through cutting corners, but by helping people understand that we will not survive and lead healthy lives if we ignore the urgency to change our habits and lifestyles.

Pointing fingers and making accusations will do little to create the needed changes. Remember how well you reacted to being scolded as a child, did you ever truly understand the reasoning behind the person confronting you, or did you merely toe the line and do what you were told? This is not how important lessons are learned, not is it how people become better citizens. It is only when concepts are clearly understood and absorbed into one's identity, that they become available in a real and honest fashion.

Let's begin the dialogue that will enable us to share these important issues that will make life happier and healthier for all!

Demand Change — Reform the USDA’s Organic Program

I ran into this important request on the Cornucopia website regarding getting people involved in reforming the USDA's Organic Program. These folks are leaders in monitoring and reporting on environmental and economic justice for small and family farms.

Please join with Cornucopia in expressing the need for reform of the USDA’s organic program. Click on this link to go to a letter to sign that they will then hand deliver to new USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and President Obama. Please mail and return your signed letter to us at PO Box 126, Cornucopia, WI 54827.

Don't allow our own government to greenwash!!

Making Our Decisions Count

A brief article we came across on www.environmentalleader.com, discusses consumer preferences for verification of company claims regarding social and environmental issues.

In research conducted by the National Marketing Institute, results show that 45% of Lohas consumers surveyed look for some sort of proof behind a claim of social or environmental responsibility, while 41% say they like to see third party verification of those claims.

Unfortunately, there is no data on which third-party verifiers consumers trust versus which ones they feel less comfortable believing. The research does indicate that consumers in the study would prefer that these verifiers be non-profits though. Perhaps a concern here is lack of trust of the companies and the government regulators or maybe a belief that a non-profit would have the least biased and most objective measurements.

Clearly, we are missing important pieces of our decision making puzzle. We have much more information available to us to make choices than ever before and yet, that also means there is far more information to sift through. Visionary Values believes that consumers must take control of how these measurements are developed and applied and lay the burden of proof at the feet of those making the claims and hold them to it. As we all move forward in establishing acceptable and trustworthy standards for measuring the adherence of companies to triple bottom line business practices, the opportunity for greenwashing will diminish greatly and eventually disappear.

Let us know what you think about our current options of third party verification. Which ones do you look for?

When Will We Integrate Earth Day Every Day?

Another Earth Day has come and gone. I am old enough to have seen quite a number of them and I can agree that we have made great strides in improving our lot as consumers as the number of environmentally aware companies and products is pretty impressive! In fact, as reported earlier on this blog, Advertising Age has released data showing the numbers of new products introduced will increase to three times as many as last year!!

How can we separate the hype (greenwashing perhaps?) from the practicality of making integral and real change in our behavior as consumers and as business people? How can we know if our actions and behaviors are having a net beneficial or a net negative impact on our communities and environment?

It is much the same dynamic we go through each year when new year's resolutions are made. Lots of good intentions, but if they are not connected to a truly desired (read commitment) and achievable outcome, most will fail. The problem comes when we do not reflect upon the "failure" to identify what we can learn from those experiences. The only reason to fear failure is when we do not take the tremendous opportunity that is presented to learn valuable lessons.

A brief reflection and review of the Earth Day dynamic was found today in the Independent-Mail article entitled "Going green is good business."

We at Visionary Values humbly request that you review your commitments to sustainable living and make some decisions regarding what is working and what needs more work. We also agree to do the same. We'd love to hear from you regarding these reflections!

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:

Green-Marketing Revolution Defies Economic Downturn

Another good link: 

Consumer's Want Proof It's Green

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

ecoAmerica

Green, Green Whadda Ya Mean?

What gives a company the "right" to call a product green? What are the values that comprise a green identity for a company or even a product? Of course you are all familiar with the concept of greenwashing. Since there clearly are no set standards for what constitutes green, consumers are left to their own devices to make that delineation. What is the key to spreading the word? Education! Listen, instead of waiting for the government or the companies themselves to establish green parameters, we, as consumers, must define the term with our wallets. Purchasing products from companies (and stores) that abide by standards of environmental responsibility, renewable resource use, sustainable production, employee repect, etc. will have the greatest impact possible if applied regularly and also modeled for our children and friends.

We at Visionary Values are working hard to create a reliable and comprehensive set of criteria and measurements to help consumers make educated and conscious decisions regarding the products they purchase and the companies they wish to support through their purchases.

For more information on greenwashing follow this link: Greenwashing Index

Something To B Lieve In

A little over a year ago I came across an organization whose mission was to certify companies that operate under a more stringent set of standards of responsibility. My first thought was that such an endeavor was quite noble and also very much needed. My second thought was more along the lines of let's wait and see if they can pull it off. It turns out that they have!

This non-profit organization called B Lab and their growing list of certified B Corporations (the "b" standing for benefit) have begun to catch the attention of more mainstream business publications like BusinessWeek and the Financial Times.

Their certification is based on meeting their "comprehensive and transparent social and environmental standards." You can review those standards as well as some sample reports on their website: www.bcorporation.net

You know as well as we do that educated consumers are increasingly frustrated by discovering that even their favorite "green" companies have some rather unpleasant skeletons lurking. If the folks at B Lab can offer an effective and trustworthy screening process that can identify the truly visionary companies, then we all benefit.

The Six Sins of Greenwashing

TerraChoice, a Canadian environmental marketing agency, has devised a guide for consumers  designed to inform them of important issues to consider when wading through the innumerable green claims currently being used by companies to sell their products. They call it:

"The Six Sins of Greenwashing"

1. The Hidden Trade-off
   
2. No Proof
   
3. Vagueness
   
4. Irrelevance
   
5. Fibbing
   
6. The Lesser of Two Evils
   

Assembled in 1995 as part of the Canadian Federal Government's effort to combat greenwashing, TerraChoice examines the full life cycle of products and the accompanying science of environmental claims. Products that pass the review can then receive Canada's official environmental certification mark, the EcoLogo. TerraChoice is currently completing a 20-year study of green marketing claims. They discovered that greenwashing is more prevalent when public interest in environmental issues is greater, and that there has been a gradual increase in claims over time.

Learn more about them at www.terrachoice.com

Read more on their blog at http://blog.terrachoice.com