NEWS: Getting rid of greenwash

A really useful document has been produced by a UK government department.

We know, we know...we did just say that a government has done something useful. It is easy to be cynical of our governments but they are full of people just like us and they ultimately do reflect society. And that means that more of the time more people in government are trying to confront the environmental and social justice problems we all face.

To that end the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has created the extremely helpful and simplistically informative PITCHING GREEN consumer guide to eco-labelling.

Pitching Green is designed to help consumers cut through the plethora of bogus green-wash statements and logos that proclaim unprovable statements like 'this product is good for the planet' and so on which tend to be meaningless. The guide helps consumers discover what the various certified organic and green labels mean. And if a label you have seen is not in this guide then chances are it is worth investigating and not simply to be taken on trust.

Pitching Green is also good for businesses with green products. Get your products properly labelled and if you run a labelling scheme then get it approved.

One obvious ommission is the Fair Trade logo. But as this is about organics and not social justice we can understand why they did not put it in.

We recommend that you visit the Pitching Green site and download the guide today. It is small and simple to read...took us less than 3 minutes to download and digest. We think its worth it...we had never heard of some of the labels in the guide.

It is all about the consumer...support those companies who are paying attention and doing good things.