Delivering eco-friendly products and jobs

Excerpts from http://branchsmith.typepad.com/project_green_industry/2008/02/delivering-eco.html

While reading the March 2008 issue of Fast Company I came across the Green Business column by David Roberts in which he talks about why companies greenwash their products. TerraChoice Environmental Marketing defines greenwashing as “the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.”

Roberts cites research by TerraChoice claiming that 99.9% of all companies’ claims that their products are sustainable are either false or misleading. Roberts said that of 1,018 products reviewed by TerraChoice that claimed to be eco-friendly, only one did not commit some form of greenwashing.

Roberts further writes that more than half of the eco-labels, according to TerraChoice, promote a narrow environmentally friendly quality, but fail to mention the not-so-friendly activities conducted by these companies to achieve this designation.

While manufacturers and retailers push their environmentally friendly products, companies are having a hard time finding employees who are trained to fill “green jobs.” A July 6, 2007, article in the San Francisco Business Times reports that companies are finding it difficult to fill positions that are being created to promote their sustainable business practices. While these companies are searching for qualified candidates, more graduates are seeking jobs with companies that have eco-friendly policies, said Lindsey Pollack, author of Getting From College to a Career.

Don’t expect this interest in eco-friendly products or companies to end anytime soon. Online retailer PriceGrabber.com reports that 71% of its surveyed customers said it was important to purchase eco-friendly products.

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