Comments on: Should Eco-Labels Come from Government or Third Party Private Organizations?

By: Frank

Frank — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 01:22:02 +0000

Eco-labels are mostly a scam in my opinion. First, because we have no real idea of the environmental savings they provide, if any. All we have is a set of arbitrary rules and marketing spin. Second, eco-labels mean we all get to pay a voluntary tax; a new green tax. Well, not everyone; marketing firms that sell the logo make money. In the end, the “green” movement is all about money. The big boys have found another way to take money from of our pockets. We’ve been fooled to believe that we need to pay money to “save the planet”. We don’t even care whether or not it’s really being saved or not, we pay out of guilt. Finally, because eco-labels cost lots of money, only the big corporations have a foot in the green door and can secure the market. Very soon, if your product doesn’t have a cute pretty green logo we will not be able to sell. Say bye-bye to the small mom and pop shops. There are many other reasons why eco-labels are flawed. The more we dig the more we’ll find how corrupt the green movement has become. “Third-party” means nothing! Heck, “third-parties” take money for their verification services. Most “third parties” are not being audited themselves, or not accredited, or have created a bogus process so they can claim they have integrity. Should we trust such a system just because it’s called “third party”. I choose not, because the bottom line of a business is to make money, and money tends to corrupt even the best of us, greenie or not.

By: davidbaer

davidbaer — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 19:16:09 +0000

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By: davidbaer

davidbaer — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 11:16:09 +0000

By: Corey

Corey — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:56:58 +0000

This is in regards to the FTC Claims on the bamboo textile industry:I highly suggest reviewing the true facts and scientific evidence that discounts the FTC's allegations. there are several posts on this at Green Earth News blog site. The most recent post, FTC's Bamboo Smear Campaign Riddled with Deception explains a lot and has links to scientific results as well! There is powerful evidence here as well as prior FTC cases that totally discredit the FTC.

By: Can You Believe that Eco-Label? « CleanOregon

Can You Believe that Eco-Label? « CleanOregon — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:26:45 +0000

[...] an interesting article on TriplePundit.com, Scott Cooney wrestles with the question of whether eco-labels should come from [...]

By: Jim Schweitzer

Jim Schweitzer — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:18:56 +0000

This is one of the major questions we’re trying to address right now in the Executive MBA Program at Wake Forest University. This is real business and impacts real strategy. Every company needs to be aware, and those who can predict which ones will “stick” will have the edge

I’ve recorded some of my thoughts on my blog here: http://jimschweitzer.wordpress.com/2009/10/24/bringing-environmentalism-and-sustainability-to-the-mba/

By: Bringing Environmentalism and Sustainability to the MBA « Consulting in Southwest VA

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:15:35 +0000

[...] as Cradle2Cradle, LEED, and GreenSeal. The topic is actually very closely tied to this article from triplepundit. The question of whether government intervention is required as the impetus of implementing [...]

By: Sue McMillan

Sue McMillan — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:34:13 +0000

You are right – there certainly are a lot of eco-labels out there, and many truly are examples of greenwashing. However, your statement that SFI is a greenwashing industry-backed label and is less rigorous than FSC is inaccurate.

• SFI is a fully independent charitable non-profit organization and is backed by a board with equal representation from the environmental, social, and economic sectors.
• The SFI forest certification Standard was developed by professional foresters, conservationists, scientists, and others. Its requirements include reforesting harvested areas promptly, obeying all laws, maintaining biological diversity and wildlife habitat, and avoiding fibre from illegal or other controversial sources.
• The SFI program is recognized by many influential organizations around the world such as the conservation groups, large corporations, non-profits and governments, including governments of Japan, USA, Canada, the UK and others.

You should also check out the “Seven Sins of Greenwashing” report put out recently by Terrachoice Environmental Marketing. They included SFI, along with FSC, as a credible label saying that SFI meets three key criteria – third party certified, publicly available standard and transparent standard development process received. SFI is one of just 14, including Green Seal and Energy Star labels that the group recognizes as “legitimate.”

For more information, I encourage you to
• visit our site: http://www.sfiprogram.org and
• Read more about the “Seven Sins” report on our blog here: http://www.goodforforests.com/archives/tag/terrachoice
• Read a recent blog post by Conservation Fund President and CEO, Larry Selzer, about Forest Certification here: http://www.cnbc.com/id/33417397

Sue McMillan
Sustainable Forestry Initiative

By: Bob

Bob — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:41:28 +0000

A label that behaves more like a nutrition label is perhaps the most important challenge to eco-labelers inside and outside of the government. The current rubber-stamp variety eco-labels are helpful, but only because there is no more informative alternative. Certifications can (but don’t always) promote a minimum standard instead of furthering competition. I’d love to see the nutrition facts style eco-label take hold in the market.

By: uberVU - social comments

uberVU - social comments — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:50:13 +0000

Social comments and analytics for this post…

This post was mentioned on Twitter by GreenCorps: #LEED News – Should Eco-Labels Come from Government or Third Party Private Organizations? – Triple .. http://bit.ly/1R9wjj...

By: Benjamin

Benjamin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:48:57 +0000

Above all it is important that these labels do not lose their credibility because it can undermine the whole movement. I just wish that corporations take more responsibility in order to prevent these types of situations: http://tinyurl.com/ygrnh9r

By: Brian

Brian — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:11:52 +0000

Important topic for discussion. I appreciate your article and respond on my blog. http://janineplusbrianequals.wordpress.com/
I point to the conclusion that less government involvment in labelling will be better in the long run.

By: who says what’s Kosher? « Janine+Brian=?

who says what’s Kosher? « Janine+Brian=? — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:36:09 +0000

[...] who says what’s Kosher? Scott Coney presents a useful issue today on Triplepundit.com. He asks “Should Eco-Labels Come from Government or Third Party Private Organizations?” [...]

By: Kirsten@Nexyoo

Kirsten@Nexyoo — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:37:23 +0000

This is an interesting problem. I’ve actually heard that there are more than 400 labels. It’s confusing for consumers, and ultimately weakens the value of each label. I think particular labels may rise to the top through competition. There may be a place for a general EPA label as well, that attempts to reflect a broad picture of sustainability.