What is greenwashing?
Greenwashing: expressions of environmentalist concerns especially as a cover for products, policies, or activities
Greenwashing is (generally) when a company is trying to sell a product that doesn’t quite meet the standards of the claims it is making. They are claiming the product is better than it actually is in order to capitalize on a market opportunity. This is not only dishonest, it takes advantage of the unwitting consumer, and steals market share from the people who are actually meeting the standards of the claims being made.
Basically: It’s bull**** marketing to sell more products.
What this Page Is: My Disclaimer
As a consumer I am very concerned with the labeling claims made by some of my favorite brands. I don’t advertise this but I have a very weak stomach and not the best immune system. I “got into” slow food out of a need to balance my gut and spend less time in the bathroom (sorry TMI).
Those who know me best know that when I start to research a topic I dive deep. This page is a collection of my thoughts as a consumer and producer of healthy farm products. I do not mean to intentionally vilify any particular brands, only share the research that I have done to date.
My math is worth checking, and it’s worth doing your own research. After all, this is the internet, and anyone can write anything on the internet. Always do your own research. I am picky about what I eat. I use that quality to ensure that what I am buying IS what is says it is so that my family and I can live and eat healthier.
What about the farmers?
In many cases greenwashing is used by aggregate companies that source raw materials or product from many different growers and then market those agricultural products under one umbrella. I have the deepest respect for those farmers as they are just trying to make ends meet like the rest of us. They are operating within a broken system to the best of their abilities.
If it weren’t for the many farmers actually living up to the claims used by the marketing companies I wouldn’t be raising a stink about all of this. Know that I have everyone’s best intentions in mind. We all have a place on the store shelf, I just have a problem with companies making unfair claims at the expense of the soil, the animals, the farmers, and the consumers.
Greenwashing Brands
This list may be short now, but I have more content in the works where I am doing consumer reviews of the claims made by companies to appear more holistic than they actually are. I am not singling out any one company as there are many that use this tactic. The list is growing.
Do your own math!
Here’s a link to an Excel Spreadsheet of the above table.
The manure application rates are going to vary from region to region. I am also only an economist by hobby and not by profession. Check the math for yourself and see what you come up with.