The 'green' movement and being critical in our consuming

Green clean, eco-friendly or green products have a new name.

Introducing, green wash.

We are inundated with products and services that imply they are 'green' but are only lip service, yet they still suck us in.

Green products have become mainstream or at least that is the perception given. Some careful thought is required to make sure what is being sold as 'green' is in fact anything close to being environmentally responsible or making an effort to reduce, reuse, recycle or manufacture with the environment or personal health in mind.

Green wash is prevalent in the personal care and household product markets with minimum labelling laws in some countries (or at least consequences if found out to be peddling falsehoods and marketing) and with the bulk of products being produced in China, Taiwan or other Asian countries when we go shopping for our products we are bamboozled and bombarded with information.

Even plant derived ingredients have chemical names which also adds to the confusion. The fact companies can call their brand a name that seems to allude that the product is either 'natural' or 'organic' only adds to all this confusion.

Fictional brand 'Green Organic Life' implies that the products this company produces are 'green' or 'organic', or at the very least would have some redeeming features but in fact may just be your same run of the mill mass produced petrochemical, sulphate and paraben formulated product range.

They rely on you reading the brand name as an ethos and expecting that the product is green or organic.

All of this means we need to be mindful when purchasing products. Inspect the the list of ingredients and the benefits or lack thereof carefully and with a critical eye. 

It costs more to use plant derived ingredients for personal care, household, pet and food products, so larger companies are going to look at the bottom line for their shareholders, and not get the guilt’s over what’s in the product they are selling.

It requires a commitment from the top down in companies to make the change and keep making changes as science/research dictates new and improved methods to keep our health and our environment being harmed by what we use on and in our bodies and in our homes.