Environmental or ‘green’ claims are increasingly common. You may see ‘environmentally friendly’ batteries, ‘ozone safe’ aerosols, ‘recyclable’ packaging etc.

The purpose of ‘green’ claims is simple... to tell you that the product is less damaging to the environment. If you are concerned about the environment and want to shop accordingly, this is important information. But what are producers actually telling you about goods and their effect on our environment?

The things they say

All products have an impact on the environment in one way or another. Even products with recognised positive aspects may, in other ways, harm the environment. This may be because of the way they are made, packaged, transported, sold, used or disposed of.

Environmentalists agree that only by looking at all stages in the life of a product can the true environmental impact be judged. When this is done, it is known as a ‘cradle to grave’ assessment. You may see this phrase on product labelling.

‘Friendly’, ‘safe’ and ‘green’ are positive, caring terms. The image they give is one of a kinder, more wholesome product. The question you need to ask however is whether the terms have any real meaning. If something just says that it is ‘green’ or ‘eco-friendly’ without further information it is impossible to tell whether or not the product really is less damaging to our environment.

Keeping quiet

Because a product can affect the environment in so many different ways, it is important that any positive contribution is clearly and fairly explained. The following claim may be familiar:

"This product contains no propellant alleged to damage the ozone layer."

A positive environmental benefit is claimed and is clearly explained... but it is not the full picture. One product on which this claim was made contained other ingredients which were known to damage the ozone layer. By leaving out this information, the manufacturer was able to make a truthful statement, the propellant wasn’t harmful to the ozone layer, but this didn’t accurately reflect the impact of the whole product.

Animals and the Environment

As part of the growing interest in protecting the environment, in the past goods such as cosmetics and toiletries often made claims about treatment of animals.

Since January 1998 any claim made about animal testing on cosmetic products must clearly state whether the tests carried out involved the cosmetic product itself or its ingredients. New measures, which come into force on 30th June 2000, will prevent the supply of cosmetic products where the product or any of its ingredients are tested on animals when the tests are carried out after this date.

For safety reasons, most ingredients will have been tested on animals at some point. Because of this, more helpful claims are those that give you precise information:

eg. ‘Ingredients not tested since 1976’ or ‘Our ingredients have not been tested for five years.’
A typical claim... but what does it mean

Energy information

New laws also mean that you must be given energy efficiency information when buying electrical appliances.

New fridges, freezers, washing machines, tumble dryers, and dishwashers already display this information. Eventually, all new electrical goods will carry a label showing the typical energy consumption.

Appliances will be rated from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient) so that they can be easily compared. Other information includes amount of noise eg. washing machines & amount of water eg. dishwashers.

But bear in mind that this information only relates to energy and water consumption where the appliance is being used. It does not tell you about the other environmental effects involved in producing or disposing of the product.

What to do if you think a claim is misleading

The Trading Standards Service is responsible for ensuring that claims are accurate and meaningful. The Trade Descriptions Act 1968 makes it a criminal offence to market goods in a way that is either false or misleading.

If you think that something is not what it claims to be, contact us and we should be able to offer advice and may be able to investigate further.

The pictures they paint

It is not only words that are used to promote a positive environmental image. Green coloured ink is often used to make the claims. Pictures of the planet or trees, flowers or endangered species are common on product labels. None of these devices mean that the product is any kinder to the environment or has official approval. Look for positive information as to how the product lives up to its ‘green’ image.

What you can do

If you want to find out more about the full environmental impact of a product you can also contact the producer. Anyone making a ‘green’ claim should be happy to explain it. These days, many companies give contact addresses and phone numbers for environmental enquiries. If the claim is made in an advertisement and you are unhappy with the response to your enquiry you can contact:

The Advertising Standards Authority,
2-16 Brook House, Torrington Place,
London WC1E 7HW.
Telephone: 020 7580 5555
website: www.asa.org.uk

There is also an increasing amount of official information.

If you find an item carrying the European ecolabel and its own identification number code, it means that it has been independently assessed and has passed very stringent criteria set at levels to ensure less impact on the environment. Awarding the eco-label in this country is the responsibility of the DETR. Details of the scheme, and of the products covered, are available from:

DETR,
6 E10 Ashdown House,
123 Victoria Street,
London SW1E 6DE
Telephone: 020 7890 6576

Being Green

Buying goods that are less harmful is not the only way in which you can help to look after the environment. Other positive steps include minimising waste, reusing items, recycling, conservation and simply using less.

Recycling

Claims about ‘recycled’ or ‘recyclable’ goods are commonly found. These words do not mean the same thing. If something is marked as being ‘recycled’ it means it is made from, or contains, material which would otherwise have been waste.

The most helpful claims are those which tell you how much recycled material has been used,

eg. ‘This card contains 80% recycled paper’.

On the other hand, ‘recyclable’ simply means that it is technically possible to recover and re-use a material. It does not guarantee that recycling will actually take place.

Biodegradable

Another popular claim is that something is ‘biodegradable’ - it breaks down easily and naturally. Detergents often carry this claim, which is not surprising as some ingredients, known as surfactants, must by law break down within a certain time. Look for production information which tells you whether some or all of the ingredients are biodegradable, and how quickly this will occur. (A typical example of an environmentally friendly image.)

And finally a Green Consumer Check

In choosing, and perhaps paying more for, a ‘green’ product look for an explanation of why the product is said to be less harmful to the environment.

Look out for the following:

• Goods where packaging has been minimised or the product is concentrated.
• Precise and clearly explained claims. Is it enough to know that something is biodegradable? Shouldn’t you be told how long this takes and whether anything harmful remains?
• Real environmental benefits. A product should not use a claim such as ‘CFC free’ if neither it nor other brands ever contained CFCs.
• Official energy efficiency information on domestic electrical appliances, and
• Approval or recognition by independent bodies, for example the eco-label.