Study finds 95 percent of green product claims are misleading

A new study from TerraChoice found that 95% of green claims on home and family products were misleading. According to the study, the overwhelming majority were guilty of at least one of the “sins” of greenwashing.

Greenwashing occurs when consumers are misled about the environmental benefits of a product or service. Of the nearly 5,300 products reviewed, only 4.5% were considered “sin-free.” However, that is an improvement over 2009, when only 2% of products were labeled sin-free.

Overall, the construction industry did slightly better than the rest of the group, with 6% of its green-labeled products rated as legitimate.

Compared to 2009, there were 73% more green-marketed products.

“This is great news,” said Scott MDougall, president of TerraChoice, “And it shows that consumers are changing the world by demanding greener goods, and that marketers and manufacturers are taking note.”