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When a company says that their product

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is green, eco-friendly or sustainable

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that's, good for the environment, right?

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Welll, maybe.

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is greenwashing. What?

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Greenwashing. It's when the company

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makes unsupportive claims that mislead

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customers into thinking that their

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products are sustainable or eco-friendly.

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This makes the companies to appeal to

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their environmental mind of consumer

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without actually having to make

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meaningful changes in

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their business practices.

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And that's not cool for you

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or the planete that we live on.[br]No it's not.

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Greenwashing is a big problem

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and there's so many moving parts.

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So, in fact, why greenwashing happens?

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And how you can use your power as a

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conscious consumer to help?

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Wow. Sustainable explainable.

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So, why would businesses actually decide

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to greenwash?

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According to one survey, 66% of the

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respondents said that they takes

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sustainability into account whenever

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they are shopping.

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So it's no surprise that businesses are

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trying to attract this growing audience.

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As businesses are scrambling to meet the

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desires of the market, many of them are

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finding that just slapping a green sticker

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on something and calling it a day is

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way easier and cheaper than making

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the fundamental changes that customers

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are actually looking for.

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And you definitely have seen greenwashing

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at the stores.

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You know the picture ads

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with nature scenes, the strategically

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placed leaves an, of course, lots and lots

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of green.

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And if it's green, it must be good right?

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Not always

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And this can be so confusing

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as a customer because you just want to go

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to the store, buy what you need without

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destroying the planet making eco-friendly

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choices and go home.

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But greenwashing floods the market with

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so many products that claim to be

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environmentally friendly when they're

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actually not. And that makes it very

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difficult for users [br]and consumers to make

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the best sustainable choice.

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And this even with cleaning products

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that claim to be non-toxic [br]when they are actually toxic.

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Or a strawless lid that turns out to have

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more plastic in it than a lid and a straw.

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And furthermore,

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if a company sold you

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a plastic cup that used to have a

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plastic straw and you take off the plastic

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straw and no longer have a plastic straw

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The plastic cup that they sold you[br]

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is still unsustainable. Greenwashing.

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Greenwashing can come in

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so many different forms.

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We are on a look-out for

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suggestive imagery, selective disclosure

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symbolic actions, hidden trades off[br]lack of proof, vagueness

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and over inflated phrases.

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At this point you're probably ready to

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tossing the towel of green consumerism,

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but don't, hold on to that towel

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because there is hope.

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Green products, they do exist.

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And here's what you can do as consumer to

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make sure that your practices

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are green win instead of

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greenwash

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Look for evidence. And if it seems vague

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then toss on your detective cap and see

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if you can find some confirmation.

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Look for[br]a third party certification.

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These third party

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certifications help to confirm that a

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product is eco-friendly.

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Look for stamps of approval like

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FSC certified, USDA Organic, Energy Star

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and Fair Trade USA.

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Be aware of plain language like

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one hundred percent Earth friendly, or

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completely sustainable. If it sounds too

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good to be true, probably is.

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Make sure that this clear marketing

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when referring to eco claims.

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When looking at a product

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marketing should tell you[br]if the packaging

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or the product, or both are sustainable.

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And lastly, do your best.

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In an age of fast paced information

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updates and a changing sustainability

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landscape, it's truly difficult to know

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whether or not you are making a

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right decision as a customer

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But remember these large companies that

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need to change and that the load of the

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world is not on your shoulders but

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your choices do have an impact.

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These companies listen to the market

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and they listen to the consumer.

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Every day, we have lots and lots of

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decisions that we make.

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That means we have lots and lots of

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opportunities to make sustainable

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decisions.

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So stick in there. You're not alone

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because we are in this together.

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Thanks for watching

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and if you're a little curious

0:04:13.487,0:04:15.009
and you want to know more about

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greenwashing, go to the link

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in our bio and also go to our website

0:04:18.208,0:04:20.952
sustainable-earth.org to be up to date

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on all things sustainability.