Eco Child’s Play

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Following The Clorox Company’s launch of Greenworks, their new line of eco friendly household cleaners, S.C. Johnson, maker of Windex announced their own green initiative:

…slapping (the) Greenlist logo on its “eco-friendly” products

So how eco-friendly does this make Windex? Well, some.

S.C. Johnson’s Greenlist process is a proprietary raw materials rating system that they devised in 2001 to aid their scientists in developing greener products.

Greenlist^TM is SC Johnson’s patented process that formalizes the classification of raw materials used in our products according to their impact on the environment and human health.

In other words, rather than spending hours researching various different raw materials for their impact on the environment and consumers’ health, S.C. Johnson’s scientists can use a master list of raw materials, developed by the Greenlist group to determine how to reformulate products to meet the company’s green initiatives.

OK- that’s good. S.C. Johnson has a process in place to make their products healthier more environmentally friendly.

Since devising the Greenlist(TM) process in 2001, SC Johnson reformulations have removed more than 61 million pounds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the environmental footprint of the company’s products - the equivalent produced by approximately 656,000 cars in a year.

A round of applause here for a conscious effort to save the planet and get with the times. Truly, one does need to congratulate S.C. Johnson for being a leader in this effort.

On the other hand…A product bearing the Greenlist logo…doesn’t mean it’s what many consumers would consider “green”.

Windex Blue is composed of 95% water, 4% isopropanol (alcohol) and up to 1% ethylene glycol, that supremely toxic substance beloved of children and pets because of its sweetness. and wondered “Who could call that green?”

Is this “greenwashing”? I think so. While I applaud S.C. Johnson’s effort to make their products more socially responsible, is this truth in advertising or is there, once again, the potential for consumers to misinterpret the Greenlist logo?

Right now, the FDA hasn’t weighed in on this issue either. And I think we’ll see more of it as major corporations jump on the green bandwagon.

Related Posts: Natural Means Nothing ; Clorox Benefits From FDA’s Decision on “Natural”; Who Owns Your Favorite Organic Brand?Natural Means Nothing - What Does Everything Else Mean?