Have you noticed all the eco-labels lately? The website Ecolabelling.org, run by Big Room Inc. in Vancouver, BC, has over 273 eco-labels listed. They define eco-labels as:
any consumer facing logo that claims an added environmental or social benefit.
The Smart Choices Program recently brought a lot of attention to the market with their industry backed program. This included labeling Fruit Loops as a “Smart Choice”. The citizens activist group Change.org initiated a letter writing campaign. The American Diabetes Association, American Dietetic Association, and Tufts University, three organizations that added credibility to Smart Choices, have now all distanced themselves.
The Washington Post is reporting that Smart Choices has suspended their operations after inquiries from the FDA and the Connecticut Attorney General.
So how does a consumer know what to believe? Ecolabelling.org is one resource. A thorough reading of labels is another. But who has time for that? The FDA recently announced that they are pursuing a labeling program and will have details out within three months. In an interesting development Underwriters Laboratories (UL), that we all know from rating home appliances, has recently entered the eco-label market with their UL Environmental label.
As green labeling progresses and green washing is called out more frequently a handful of trusted labels will likely rise to the surface. In the meantime it continues to be buyer beware.
