Eco-Labels...
What's in a Name?
by
Kristi Wiedemann
As
consumers grow
increasingly aware of the environmental and social impacts of their
purchases,
a growing number of socalled “eco-labels” have made their way onto
produce and
product packaging. Eco-labels, which are seals or logos indicating that
a
product has met a set of environmental or social standards, can be
found on a
wide array of products including beverages, personal care products,
paper and
cleaning products. While some are highly meaningful and may be worth
paying
more for, others are less so, and call for a bit more skepticism.
In
order to educate
consumers about the validity of such labels, the Consumers Union, the
non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports, has created a ratings
list for
eco-labels all their own. Labels are rated overall as “Highly
Meaningful,” “Somewhat
Meaningful” and “Not Meaningful,” depending on whether or not an
independent
organization has verified that the product bearing its label meets a
set of
meaningful and consistent standards for environmental protection and/or
social
justice standards. Here’s a look at how some of the more popular labels
measure
up.
Highly
Meaningful Leaping
Bunny logo
(Corporate
Standard
for Compassion for Animals)
Found
on cosmetics,
personal hygiene and household products, the “Leaping Bunny” logo
signifies that
the product is made per standards developed by a coalition of animal
protection
groups including the Humane Society of the United States and PETA, as
well as animal
protection groups in Canada, Europe and worldwide. Keep in mind that
only the
logo indicates that companies are meeting the pledge, not wording.
USDA
Organic
While
the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA) “organic” label is found on a number
of
products including food, beverages, personal care products, cosmetics,
pet food
and more, the label is considered “highly meaningful” on food and
beverages. It
indicates that the product was raised per rigorous federal organic
standards —
i.e., grown or raised without most synthetic pesticides and
fertilizers, without
all antibiotics, genetic engineering, irradiation and sewage sludge,
and was
only clearly defined for food and beverages when it became a national
standard
in 2002. Thus, the organic label is not considered very meaningful when
found
on non-food and non-beverage products. For instance, on clothing and
other
textiles, the label only applies to how the cotton was grown, not
processed into
a finished product.
Fair
Trade Certified
The
“Fair Trade
Certified” label can be found on a growing number of food and beverage
products
and has also begun branching out to consumer goods (soccer balls are
the
first). The standard aims to ensure that farmers receive a fair wage
for their products,
and organic and ecologically sound techniques are encouraged. The
program also
supports credit plans and training workshops. To bear the label,
agricultural products
must be grown by small farmers who belong to cooperatives and who are
paid a
fair minimum price.
Rainforest
Alliance
Certified
This
label is found on
food and beverages and is considered highly meaningful regarding its
support of
sustainable agriculture, social responsibility and integrated pest
management.
The standards have been designed to promote tropical conservation by
encouraging environmentally responsible practices, fair labor standards
and
good community relations. The nonprofit organization, Rainforest
Alliance, verifies
that certified products have been grown according to the standard.
Next
month: Not-so-meaningful
Eco-Labels
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