Grading “Green” or Just How Eco-Friendly Is My Laundry Detergent?

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Eco-Friendly Dishwasher DetergentsThe last time you went to the grocery store or the local Walmart, did you count the number of cleaners, soaps, and detergents that labeled themselves “green.” At Target last week while attempting to find the laundry detergent that was supposed to be on sale, I was boggled by all the new green chemicals that I’d never heard of before my shopping trip. I wasn’t certain what most of them did — much less exactly how “green” they really were.

The problem with words like green, sustainable, and eco-friendly on products today is that no one really knows what they mean. We consumers have a general idea, of course, but it’s hardly specific, and it’s a safe bet that your idea of “green” and mine would probably mean slightly different things.

Tired of the general confusion and hoping to provide both companies and consumers with a better understanding of “green” claims, the American Chemical Society’s Green Chemistry Institute has a plan. Working with representatives from the from the ACS, major chemical and pharmaceutical companies, trade groups, nonprofit environmental organizations, and academia, they hope “to build a comprehensive, multiattribute, consensus-based standard with third-party verification that a company can certify against to say its product is green or that its manufacturing process or facility is green.” They intend to have the American National Standards Institute certify their new standard by June 2010.

According to the Institute’s Director Robert Peoples, any number of green standards and labels already exist, but they generally focus only on one or two aspects of a product or process, such as the percent of recycled content or harmful chemical emissions. And they are issued by too many organizations to count, including industry trade groups, environmental organizations, the companies themselves, or even advertising agencies hoping to catch the eye of the disoriented consumer.

A Laundry Detergent Display at WalmartTo avoid the confusion of just another meaningless green label appearing on packaging, Peoples envisions a less graphics-intensive label — possibly similar to food nutrition labels or appliance energy guides. It would include basic information “on process efficiency, including raw materials, water, solvent, and energy use; air emissions and solid-waste generation; and recyclability.” Such a complicated label would most likely present something of a learning curve, but in the end we consumers would be able to determine a chemical’s “greenness” ourselves.

Who knows, maybe a year from now, when I am once again wandering the aisles of Target in quest of more laundry detergent, I’ll finally know what it’s talking about when it claims to be new, improved, and more eco-friendly.

Photo Credit: Becoming Green and Clean Wal-Mart at flickr

7 thoughts on “Grading “Green” or Just How Eco-Friendly Is My Laundry Detergent?”

  1. California Reader

    Good Article. I do a lot of label reading before many of my purchases. A label similar to the one developed for food products would be a very helpful model.

  2. California Reader

    Good Article. I do a lot of label reading before many of my purchases. A label similar to the one developed for food products would be a very helpful model.

  3. I was wondering what is up with that weird gravatar??? I know 5am is early and also I’m not looking my most useful at that hour, but I hope I don’t look like that! I may well however make that face if I’m asked to do 100 pushups. lol

  4. I was wondering what is up with that weird gravatar??? I know 5am is early and also I’m not looking my most useful at that hour, but I hope I don’t look like that! I may well however make that face if I’m asked to do 100 pushups. lol

  5. Laundrycare Acct

    Interesting post! My friend and I started a laundry service from our homes a few years ago.  We found a little tip that we use on every load now.  White vinegar. Add 3/4 cup into the rinse cycle and it acts as a natural fabric softner, saves money, is eco-friendly and helps keep your washing machine clean.
    Seattle Laundry Care

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