In this video, Steve and Jean Hanson talk "greenwashing". There is way too much deceit on the part of manufacturers so we as cleaning business owners need to know how to protect ourselves from false claims.

Here is the Video Recap:

Greenwashing can be defined as the deceptive practices used by manufacturers to falsely promote their products as something they are not, by use of such phrases as "environmentally friendly" or "safe for the environment" or "low impact on health". Some statistics claim that up to 98% of cleaning chemical manufacturers are in one way or another lying about their products through false or deceptive labeling.

Greenwashing is simply a way for manufacturers to sell more product. Terms such as "ecosafe" and "organic" don't mean anything.

There are six "sins" of greenwashing:

1. Use of a hidden trade-off

2. No proof

3. Vagueness

4. Irrelevance

5. Lying

6. Lesser of two evils

One area of concern is over the labeling of residential cleaning products. Unlike commercial products, residential cleaning products do not have the same requirements to label their products the same way.

The bottom line is you must closely read all labels on the products you intend to use, and check out the manufacturers to make sure they are selling you an environmentally friendly product. If you are buying out of a big box store, just make sure you are well informed as to exactly what you are purchasing to avoid being "greenwashed."