Greenwashing in Everyday Life

Following the discussion in class last week on green washing, I decided to do some research to understand it a little better, as I did not have a lot of previous knowledge on the subject. While doing this research, I came across a link labeled “The Top 25 Green Washed Products in America” which was published by BusinessPundit.com.

While reading the article, I was surprised to see that Herbal Essences hair products were on the list. I have been using Herbal Essences shampoos and conditioners for years, and loved that they were supposedly “natural” and  sometimes “truly organic” products. However, according to this article, Herbal Essences contains chemicals including lauryl sulfate, propylene glycol, and red dye no. 33, none of which can be considered natural or organic. Other widely used products included on the list were meat, software, mattresses, and bottled water. Each one of these products are often used very regularly in most individuals’ life, and it astonishes me that so many of these products are currently being green washed by the companies which produce and market them.

This discovery really opened my eyes to the mislabeling and representation of certain products that everyone may use everyday. From now on, I will definitely be paying more attention to the specific ingredients in the products I purchase, and will encourage those around me to do the same in order to remain informed consumers and not be mislead by these mislabeling of products.

3 thoughts on “Greenwashing in Everyday Life

  1. Interesting revelation about Herbal Essences. I never gave their products much thought on being green or not, but I cannot say I am too surprised on that one! Bottled water is another interesting point that you brought up, when it comes down to it, there is nothing green at all about a plastic bottle filled with what was once pure water!

  2. Wow, that’s crazy that companies are so deceiving! This makes me really interested to see what items I own that claim to be “all natural” or “truly organic” that contain chemicals that are not natural. I wish more people were aware of the true amount of greenwashing that occurs in everyday life.

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