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‘Green’ products aren’t always what they say they are


Last updated May 11, 2021

By Clinton Colmenares, Director of News and Media Strategy

When a recent viral tweet about a plastic bottle dressed up as a paper bottle touched off a conversation about “greenwashing,” NBC’s Today reached out to Jeanine Stratton, associate professor of business and accounting at Furman who has studied greenwashing. Stratton urged anyone who is curious about the claims made by a product to do their homework.

“Misleading claims are often subtle,” she told Today. “Carefully look at the claim and evidence of an authentic third party verification, for example, claims of ‘organic’ on food products must be substantiated by the organization approving the use of the term and a consumer should be able to find that on label,” she said. “However, some labels look authentic when they are not.”

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Clinton Colmenares
Director of News and Media Strategy