Greenwashing & Legal Loopholes

abancker
Apr 8, 2016
3 min read

Have you ever heard of the term "whitewashing"? It's defined as being “a coordinated attempt to hide unpleasant facts” With this, they are usually referring to politics. "Greenwashing" is pretty much the same thing except it refers to environmental issues. If you walk through the grocery store right now, you'll see hundreds of products marketed as "green" and "safe" and "natural." Maybe you'll pass by a product or two that have a little leaf or it'll say, "NEW DESIGN SAME GREAT PRODUCT" but now the entire bottle is green and there's nature stuff all over it. Did you know these things mean virtually nothing in regard to our health? Companies are changing the packaging but still adding toxic chemicals to their products. TRESemme is a great example of a company that participates in green washing. When I first started learning about this topic, I was trying to make the transition to "natural" one baby step at a time. I saw a "safer" shampoo by a company I recognized so I didn't even think twice and bought it. I used TRESemme "naturals" for months! As I got deeper into this topic I thought, "hmm, maybe I should peek at the ingredients." The label clearly says lower sulfates. I needed to be using products with NO sulfates! What is the point of trying to make something better for us if they're going to use the same toxic chemicals, just in lower doses? For all we know, these "lower doses" could be so small its as if there was no change at all except for the packaging.

In her blog post regarding the regulations (or lack of) on our cosmetics in the US, Bijani Mizell said, "While I would never intentionally coat my lashes with wart remover, I do apply mascara multiple times a day." She goes on to inform us that Cover Girl mascara is made with the same ingredients as Dr. Scholl’s Wart Remover. Its even found in lighter fluid! Petroleum distillates, an oil by-product, is found in both of these products and is one of 1100 chemicals banned in Europe. So I'm guessing you're probably wondering, "Whoa, if Europe has banned over a thousand chemicals, how any have been banned in the US?" In the United States, the FDA has tested and banned only 11 chemicals from our personal care products. These unregulated chemicals are being used as ingredients in our cosmetics. They are known to cause cancer, birth defects, genetic mutation, and organ damage. Why are they even selling things to us when they know these are the side effects?

I think I have a pretty simple explanation as to why these large corporations are producing products known to be harmful to our health. When it comes down to it, everything ties back to money. These companies want to a make as much profit as possible. Economically speaking, their plan is genius. Why not charge double for the same cheap product? All they have to do is make a few changes to the packaging, maybe produce a cute commercial with a baby or a baby and their good to go. People gravitate towards things they know. So it's just a natural instinct to go towards the brands we've used for years. The most frustrating part of this whole thing is that these companies are getting richer while we are getting sicker. I don't appreciate large corporations cutting corners to save a couple bucks when it could potentially be harmful to our health. Heck, it could even kill us.

The best solution to this problem is to vote with our dollars. If we don't buy it, they won't make it. They'll be forced to listen to us if they start losing money because we, the people, are what's driving them. You shouldn't trust a product just because its labeled "safe" and from a company you know. Learn what ingredients are harmful and stay away from any product with them listed on the label.