According to a government-commissioned report, most labels on customer products that boast about their environmental credentials do not guarantee they are eco-friendly (inflicted minimal of no harm on the environment) Daily Telegraph.
Many different studies were undertaken and various reports were written about the “green” labeling issues. For example one of the studies that was carried out by Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs , assured that the information on food, drinks and electrical gadgets frequently comes out as confusing or misleading. Because there is no single international standard for this concept, the International Organization for Standardization considers such labels too vague to be meaningful.
All this made me want to question the actual effectiveness of the eco-labels. It is almost impossible for a customer to recognize whether it is just misleading information or any environmental benefits had actually been achieved. How often do you pay attention to eco-labelling? Does that affect your choice and do you trust “green” labels if the only proof was the retailers’ claims?
KRISTINA’S HINT FOR THE FOLLOWERS:
I would strongly recommend all of you to visit this website http://www.worldometers.info where you can find all sorts of real-time, live statistics of different subjects like environment, births, water, energy, deaths, etc, gathered all in one place. It could be useful for PR and Communication students, for the upcoming assignments or just for people who are curious and like to be up to date. The source list also appears fairly credible, so don’t hesitate.
I didn't even know about these eco-labels. And no, really could not be bothered to turn the packaging over to look for some small eco-label.
ReplyDeleteI have seen some labels on the packaging, but they are so small and many and each means something else. Maybe if I knew what they actually mean I would pay more attention.
Me too Evija i didn't know anything about these eco-labels.
ReplyDeleteI think that they shouldn't be on the back of the product and should be on the front so people see it straight away as being on the back of a product in small writing is not really asking the customer to read it unless they know about these eco-labels.
Eco labels are like 80s haircuts and Brick lane vintage shops - they're SO in. Surely it is good for positioning a product and building certain consumer perceptions. Labelling a product as eco-friendly is like saying 'Hey there, we care and if you buy this it will mean that you don't want baby seals to die and Greenland ice to melt'. In a way it's guilt-tripping becuase clearly no one wants to be seen as careless and uneducated.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I currently have an Innocent smoothie pack on my desk and on the packaging it says 'There's no ringpull on this carton. This means we save 20 tonnes of plastic a year, and the smoothie's still as good as ever'. That's advertising as much as it is eco-conciousness. But the thing is, it works. It kind of makes me feel like saving baby seals by buying eco-friendly products will make me a better consumer and maybe even person. But baby seals are too cute to not give a damn.