“I don’t know if a cleaning product is really eco-friendly of just labelled as such.”
People have to be careful with the label ‘green’ or ‘eco-friendly’ on cleaning products, just as they have to be careful with the label ‘sugar-free’ or ‘non-fat’ on food products. Many products label themselves ‘green’ or ‘natural’ only to attract environment lovers while the majority of the product ingredients remain hazardous.
Terry Bennett, a Green Living Examiner, lists down 5 top misleading green labels, which consist of:
- Green and Eco-friendly; these labels do not require any proof.
- Biodegradable; this is not a regulated term
- Natural; many still filled with unnatural ingredients
- Recycled; does not mean the entire packaging is made of recycled material
- Non-toxic; the standard of non-toxic is unclear
You can read more about it here.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has the Design for the Environment program that has its own standards to determine if a product is safe for humans, animals, and the environment. Furthermore, a review of a product is done based on currently available information, EPA predictive models, and expert judgment. A product is allowed to use the DfE label only if they are considered to pose the least risks and concerns.
Play this video and you will find more interesting information about the DfE:
Design for the Environment Video
In fact, Singapore has its own ‘Green Label’ administered by the Singapore Environment Council to classify products that have less undesirable effects to the environment. Even the website explains the standards that must be fulfilled for each product category and lists the components that can be found in a product. It also lists products that have successfully gained the Green Label. Unfortunately, most products do not actually put the Green Label logo on their packaging. Most cleaning products also fail to list down their ingredients, therefore questioning the transparency of the Green Label qualification.
More reasons why people skip green cleaning…
Image source:
1. http://www.stephaniemcmillan.org/codegreen/2010/07/26/sacred-pact-2/
2. http://www.epa.gov/oppt/ar/2007-2009/working/design.htm
3. http://www.greenlabel.sg/sgls