Proliferation of 400+ Green Seals Detracts From Message

September 28, 2009

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There are so many seals and certifications related to “green” and environmental attributes of products and services that many such marks risk losing their effectiveness, according to 2009 Conscious Consumer Report from BBMG.

In fact, there are more than 400 such seals and certifications, BBMG found.

In general, consumers tend to trust government-approved and generic seals more than others.

Here is a look at consumers’ familiarity with various certifications.

Secondly, here’s a look at the impact on purchasing decisions from consumers’ viewing various seals.

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Reader Comments

This is an interesting problem. It does seem like labels & seals begin to lose meaning when there are so many, and just become confusing. It’s hard to tell which are truly accurate. I wonder how much impact Walmart’s planned labels will have in other retail stores.

Kirsten@Nexyoo | September 28th, 2009

Right now there is money in certifications and labels, which is why the number is increasing daily. Certifications can cost a supplier thousands of dollars with hopes that it will be the tipping point for your purchasing decision. Yes, all this does is add to market confusion because some of the certifications are for just one impact. That’s fine if you are purchasing something with that one impact in mind. However, if your goal is to purchase a sustainable product, or one that is environmentally preferable then the certification must be looking at multi – impacts, the environmental footprint of the product in its entire life cycle. To make a long story short, know what you want from a label and push for laws that won’t allow misrepresentation. Stakeholder demand is the most powerful tool and we are all stakeholders.

Tim Cole | September 29th, 2009

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