Brands have gotten incredibly creative at making their products sound environmentally friendly without actually being environmentally friendly. It's called greenwashing, and it's everywhere. Here are five terms that should raise your skepticism.
1. "Natural"
This is perhaps the most meaningless term in marketing. There is no legal definition of "natural" for most products. Arsenic is natural. Poison ivy is natural. The term tells you absolutely nothing about whether a product is good for you or the environment.
Buy'r Tip: Look for specific certifications like USDA Organic instead of vague "natural" claims.
2. "Eco-Friendly"
Another term with zero regulatory oversight. A company can slap "eco-friendly" on literally anything. The plastic bottle that takes 450 years to decompose? The company might call it eco-friendly because it's "recyclable" (even if only 9% of plastic actually gets recycled).
3. "Sustainable"
This word has been so overused it's lost all meaning. True sustainability means meeting present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their needs. Most products labeled "sustainable" don't come close to this bar.
Questions to ask:
- Sustainable compared to what?
- Where's the data backing this claim?
- Is there third-party verification?
4. "Made with Organic Ingredients"
This sneaky phrase means a product contains some organic ingredients—potentially as little as 1%. Only products labeled "USDA Certified Organic" must contain 95%+ organic ingredients. "Made with organic ingredients" only requires 70%.
5. "Carbon Neutral"
This sounds impressive but often relies on purchasing carbon offsets, which are notoriously unreliable. Many offset projects don't actually remove carbon or would have happened anyway. True carbon neutrality requires actually reducing emissions, not just buying indulgences.
What Actually Matters
Instead of marketing buzzwords, look for:
- B Corp Certification - Rigorous third-party verification of social and environmental performance
- USDA Organic - Legally defined and enforced
- Fair Trade Certified - Ensures ethical labor practices
- 1% for the Planet - Companies commit 1% of sales to environmental causes
Use Buy'r to cut through the greenwashing and see what certifications products actually have—not just what they claim.
