Green spin leaves shoppers baffled

SUPERMARKET shelves are flooded with "greenwash", says the consumer group Choice, creating a culture of confusion and cynicism among shoppers.

A survey of 185 non-food items, from detergents to tissues, found that only three of the 630 environmental claims made on packaging could be substantiated. Myriad logos, many featuring leaf and tree designs and one showing hands cradling the Earth, appeared to be nothing more than inventions of manufacturers' marketing departments, Choice's chief executive, Peter Kell, said yesterday. Some claims were blatant lies.

"Greenwash is out of control on supermarket shelves," he said.

"Our concern is that the proliferation of irrelevant, vague and unhelpful environmental claims is actually punishing companies wanting to do the right thing … and supermarkets with their own brands are some of the worst offenders."

Among the offending products is Ambi Pur plug-in air freshener, which boasts that it is biodegradable. The fine print reveals the box the device comes in, not the product itself, is biodegradable. And a box of Kleenex tissues marked "100 per cent recycled board" refers to the box and not the contents.

Among claims described as vague, Glad brand council bin liners are said to contain "up to" 40 per cent recyclable plastic. Sorbent's "gold opulence" toilet paper displays five environmental logos on the wrapping, only one of which is a genuine accreditation for recycling, says Choice. Woolworths Select brand toilet paper and tissues, which were the subject of a partial voluntary recall following allegations of misleading labelling last September, were still bearing forest sustainability verification symbols in January, when the products were bought by Choice.

The products are supplied by the Indonesian company Asia Pulp and Paper, which is accused by environmental groups and unions of illegally clearing rainforests in Sumatra and China. Choice said supermarkets needed to get their houses in order and ensure all green claims on "own-brand" products complied with Australian Standards.

However, the Australian Standard for Environmental Labelling was voluntary and largely ignored, Mr Kell said, particularly in relation to words such as "sustainable", "natural", "recycled" and "biodegradable".

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission needed to target misleading claims more aggressively under the Trade Practices Act, he said. The commission recently released a guide warning manufacturers and retailers about claims that overstep the mark. The commission's chairman, Graeme Samuel, said it was already targeting deceptive conduct. He pointed to action it had taken against electricity companies and Saab over misleading environmental claims.

"I don't think we need to be exhorted any further to be taking action because we are of course dealing with these issues," Mr Samuel said, dismissing suggestions that marketing departments appeared to be one step ahead of the regulators.

"We've got a fundamental law under section 52 of the Trade Practices Act which says you should not engage in any misleading or deceptive conduct. Overstep the mark and you will be brought to heel."