How can you recognise and avoid greenwashing?

Have you ever found  yourself in a situation where you don’t know whether a product is eco-friendly or not? How can you really know you are not being tricked by brands? Let us give you some advice: beware of greenwashing. 

What is greenwashing?

Greenwashing is a marketing strategy Ecogarantie proudly fights against: misleading you and making you believe a product is eco-friendly, whereas it is not. But how do brands do that? Let us tell you: some dishonest companies have a whole range of techniques to hide the negative impact of their products from you.

Imagine you want to buy cigarettes. If you saw a new brand selling cigarettes made with recycled paper, what would you think? Actually, even if the recycled paper is ecological, cigarettes remain cigarettes and still pollute the environment and damage your health. You may think this example is obvious, and you’re right. But some brands do exactly the same  with everyday products.

Generally, they use the green colour to trick you. A green label, a green packaging or a green name, and there you have it. Green refers to nature, the environment and ecology. But buying a product packaged in a green box doesn’t mean it is ecological. You can also find false logos that some companies use on their packagings. Some labels can be free of use and are not subject to control or audits, making them meaningless. Finally, seeing the word “ecological”, “ethic” or “natural” on a product doesn’t mean it actually is.

How to avoid greenwashing

Luckily for you, true and reliable labels do exist! Buying products bearing a quality label guarantees you that you are not being green-washed. For instance, Ecogarantie is an honest ecolabel working with independent control bodies. This way, you can be sure that all our brands’ products are safe, ecological and ethical. In fact, our label complies with strict and high standards. Our only goal is to help you find true eco-friendly products. So, why don’t you give it a go?