Don’t let greenwashing interfere with your goals to buy green products

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With climate change a major concern, people are more conscious than ever about protecting the environment. Companies are aware of this trend, too, as they compete for consumer dollars. However, some use deceptive advertising and marketing practices called greenwashing to get shoppers to buy items that may not be environmentally friendly.

If your goal is to shop online for items that won’t hurt the environment, you need to be aware of greenwashing and how to choose environmentally friendly products across numerous categories.

What is greenwashing?

Greenwashing occurs when a company promotes products using terms and slogans that are associated with the green movement, but in reality, it doesn’t comply with environmentally sound practices.

Words commonly used to appeal to customers who prefer to buy green products include natural, organic and nontoxic. Some companies even claim that their products are sustainable or eco-friendly when in fact, they don’t live up to those claims with sustainable practices.

Not only is greenwashing bad for the environment, but it’s misleading to consumers who want to invest in products that aren’t harmful to the planet.

Types of green washing

There are