The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has created “Green Guides,” in an attempt to guide environmental marketing claims so products don’t mislead shoppers. According to the FTC, many companies are guilty of “greenwashing,” or marketing their products as “green” even if only certain aspects of the product’s life cycle are green. So what’s an informed shopper to do? Find a related third party seal or certification that indicates the product adheres to a certain set of standards. Then, keep an eye out for it when shopping. Instead, keep an eye out for the Leaping Bunny logo. Originally created as a third-party certification for cruelty-free beauty products, the well-recognized logo can now also be found on household cleaners. Brands like Cleancult, Dr. Bronner’s, Mrs. Meyer’s, and Caldrea have earned the Leaping Bunny seal of approval, meaning they comply with a rigorous set of standards. Search its database to find more brands. This USDA seal is most commonly used on food, but it can also be applied to household cleaners. So if you really want to make sure your multi-purpose cleaning spray is organic, check for the USDA seal. If you look closely at the USDA seal, it tells you what percent of the product is biobased, according to results from the USDA and American Society for Testing and Materials. Biobased products aren’t made from petroleum, and this lowers the need for fossil fuels. Mrs. Meyer’s dish soap is 88 percent and Everspring dish soap is 97 percent bio-based. The set of standards varies for each type of product. For example, the standards for paper products like toilet paper states that the product can’t contain chlorine or colorants, must be biodegradable, and more. When you see a product with a “Green Seal” ecolabel, you know it has passed a strict set of standards.
