One of the things we like to promote is smart buying. If we can buy and use products that are more environmentally friendly, and use less packaging, then we’re way ahead on the reduction of both trash and recycling. That brings us to the new phenomenon of greenwashing.

Greenwashing is the practice of marketing products in such a way as to convince consumers that the product is more environmentally friendly than it really is. There are two ways that are most commonly done.

One way is the so-called hidden trade-offs. In that practice, the manufacturer will tout the product as containing “20% post-consumer products” or some such claim. Although that may be true, the rest of the material in the product can be so bad that there is either no gain, or even some net loss in sustainability and environmental friendliness in its use and its packaging. The practice is often compared to “lo-Fat” foods that contain enormous amounts of sugar and/or salt, instead of the fats, and can actually be more harmful to our health.

The second trick is the use of unsubstantiated claims for a product. As consumers, we need to remain very vigilant about reading the fine print on the packaging. If a product is really more healthful or more sustainably made, the manufacturer will be eager to make sure we know that. Just saying it’s so doesn’t make it so, and we need to see if the package shows proof of the claims. If it does not clearly show proof, there probably is none to show, and we’re seeing greenwashing.

Often, a third-party endorsement of a product’s sustainability and environmental friendliness is a good indicator, but that needs to be from a recognized and respected entity as well. A ringing endorsement from some entity described by a four- or five-letter acronym we have never seen before is unlikely to be meaningful, and could even be entirely bogus. I liken it to people who try to impress us with a long list of letters and acronyms after their names that mean exactly nothing to anyone, outside of their own closed fraternity. Every profession is guilty of expecting others to understand their jargon, and the recycling and sustainability industries are as bad as any other. The cynic in me says marketers are especially bad, and are sometimes even intentionally being misleading.

So, when you buy with eco-friendly thoughts in mind, please be sure the products you choose, and the packaging around them, are as environmentally friendly as they claim to be. Insist on proof of their claims, and be aware of the practice of hidden trade-offs where a portion of the product’s makeup is friendly, but the entire item might well not be. Greenwashing is not where we want to be going!

The Recycle Bin is a weekly question and answer column on what to recycle, what not to recycle, and why, in Brunswick. The public is encouraged to submit questions by email to brunsrecycleinfo@gmail.com. Harry Hopcroft is a member of the Brunswick Recycling and Sustainability Committee.