Greenwashing: The 6 Sins

I recently heard a familiar voice on NPR Morning Edition (Nov 30). The voice was that of Scot Case, whom I met in 2005 in Washington D.C. at a meeting with the US Federal Office of the Environment (OFEE) to discuss "Responsible Purchasing". It wasn't much longer after that meeting that the discussion of global warming, emission credit trading and other environmental issues started hitting the front page.
Now regular people are asking, "what can I do?" and as a consumer many of us feel a bit helpless. It doesn't help that companies are putting claims on products that may seem relevant, but are actually empty or meaningless. This is called "greenwashing" and poses a threat to any consumer with a conscience. In the U.S., the lack of a strong environmental labeling scheme has left people with little choice but to grapple with lists of ingredients or just to trust their best judgment and know the issues as best they can. Naturally, few people have the time resources for this undertaking.
The way many brands greenwash their place on the shelves is summarized by Scot Case as the Six Sins, which he talks about during his interview on Morning Edition. For example, a claim that a product contains "NO CFCs" is fairly meaningless in that CFCs have been practically banned in the U.S. since the 1970s. What Germany, Scandinavian countries and Japan have is a strong eco-labeling scheme (Blue Angel, Nordic Swan, and Eco-label, respectively) that puts sets an overall standard for products to obtain the certification, rather than leaving companies to design product packaging as they see fit for marketing as is done in the U.S.
The bottom line is that consumers need to value the vote they make with the dollars they spend. Every dollar sign is a ballot, and no one wants to vote for a candidate that is lying through their teeth, although sometimes it seems we are left with little else.
The Six Sins are as follows, follow the link for details:

1. The Sin of the Hidden Tradeoff
Examples:
• Household insulation products that claim indoor air-quality benefits without attention to other environmental aspects, such as recycled content and manufacturing impacts.

2. The Sin of No Proof.
Examples:
• Household lamps and lights that promote their energy efficiency without any supporting evidence or certification.

3. The Sin of Vagueness
Examples:
• "Chemical-free." In fact, nothing is free of chemicals. Water is a chemical. All plants, animals, and humans are made of chemicals as are all of our products.

• "Non-toxic." Everything is toxic in sufficient dosage. Water, oxygen and salt are all potentially hazardous.

• "All Natural." Arsenic is natural. So are uranium, mercury and formaldehyde. All are poisonous.

• "Green," "environmentally friendly," and "eco-conscious," which are meaningless without elaboration.

4. The Sin of Irrelevance
Example: chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) — legally banned for 30+ years

5. The Sin of Lesser of Two Evils
Examples:
• Organic cigarettes.

6. The Sin of Fibbing
Examples:
• A dishwasher detergent that purports to be packaged in "100% recycled paper," and yet the container is plastic.

(Details)