What we talk about when we talk about green
June 11th, 2009 | Posted by Eric SmithThe FTC recently took action against certain companies that claimed their products were biodegradable. The issue here revolves around language, around what we can really, honestly say about green products and services.
According to Michael Davis, an FTC lawyer, even if products (in this case disposable wipes and plates) are theoretically biodegradable, the fact is that most consumer products go straight to a landfill, where they stand little chance of ever “returning to nature” (to use the FTC’s phrase).
So what kind of claim to biodegradability can be made? “It’s hard to think of one marketers would like,” said Davis. It’s hard indeed to imagine his example phrase as a selling point on the side of a box of wet naps: ”Biodegradable in 1,000 years.”
Davis’s remarks bring a central conundrum of green marketing into bold relief. Marketing, in the most basic terms, is supposed to create desire for a good or service. But to make certain green claims truthful, it requires so many caveats and footnotes as to wither any appeal the original claim once had. Some might say this is the price of truthfulness, but I think it suggests a broader idea of what marketing might be. Instead of persuasion, what if marketers engaged in education? For instance, if company X makes a product that can biodegrade, shouldn’t that company also explain how to dispose of it to make sure it does biodegrade? Maybe the campaign focuses not just on disposable wipes, but on composting and how easy–even cool–it can be.
I realize this sounds a bit naive, or at least idealistic. But then again, idealism has been known to sell pretty well at times. It sent a man to the moon in less than a decade forty years ago, after all. Maybe the time is right for companies to inspire purchases by inspiring environmentally sustainable behavior, rather than by adding asterisks and footnotes to their green claims.
June 12th, 2009 at 6:09 am
Your comments are right on target. I believe that for any product to make a claim it must meet the test. Since the FTC has decided that most of our landfills (the Dry Tomb type) do not facilitate biodegradation, then any product that is headed for the garbage dump shouldn’t be labeled as biodegradable, unless it can biodegrade in an anaerobic and aerobic environment. As we all know the reason things don’t biodegrade in a dry tomb landfill is due to compaction and layering covered by dirt, etc., the oxygen within these layers is used up quickly and when that happens biodegradation slows down considerable. Test holes have been dug in old garbage dumps and sixty year old news papers could still be read and sixty year old hot dogs looked like they had just been cooked. Our garbage dumps don’t do anything other then leak toxic lechate, and hide the garbage from our sight. Landfills need to be designed as bioreactor landfills where biodegradation is enhanced and biogases can be captured and used to make clean energy.
Max
http:www.ensobottles.com
“Bottles for a Healthier Earth”
June 16th, 2009 at 4:41 am
[...] thoughtful post on Shiny Green Button about green marketing with an authentic, practical twist: Marketing, in the most basic terms, is [...]
March 23rd, 2010 at 11:00 am
@Martin – I very much agree with what you are saying here even if one has to reflect on all aspects of the argument. We can all be rather guilty of adopting a somewhat blinkered view to these issues and for the most part, stepping back and observing the ‘bigger picture’ can almost always yield positive results.