The simplest explanation of greenwashing is when a company makes misleading, or outright false, claims about the Earth-friendliness of their company, products or business practices. It can be something as basic as claiming a product is green when in fact the environmental benefit is negligible to outright deception by launching a wide scale marketing campaign extolling the company’s new green initiatives when in reality the company is doing nothing of the sort.

Companies who participate in greenwashing are pretty clever when it comes to hiding the truth about their eco-friendliness and it can be a challenge separating fact from fiction. To help you avoid giving money to companies that choose to greenwash their business rather than clean up their act, I’ve put together a few tips for spotting a greenwashed product.

Educate Yourself

By far the easiest way to spot greenwashing is to understand what green really means. At its heart being eco-friendly means doing no lasting harm to the environment. So from its inception to its disposal a green product should have no adverse affects on the environment. It’s the same with businesses. Corporations should run their companies in a way that has little to no negative impact on the planet.

When you see a product on the shelf that claims to be eco-friendly, think about how the product was created, the impact it might have on the environment with its use and what happens to it when it is disposed of. If that product adds to environmental problem in any way, chances are it’s not as green as the manufacturer would like you to think.

Beware of Seals

Another area where companies try to pull a fast one is in the use of official looking seals and labels. Some seals, such as “Green Seal”, are valid because the product was independently verified by a credible third party. However, other seals are unregulated and thus are self-serving at best. Research which seals are official and lookout for those products that carry them.

Watch for Superficial Changes

The most transparent form of greenwashing is when a company makes changes that are purely for show. For example, changing a product’s packaging to emulate the color scheme of similar green products, adding buzzwords like Eco or Enviro to the name of the product or spinning a product’s marketing pitch to make it appear to be Earth-friendly.

Usually your gut instinct will warn you when a company is trying to pull the wool over your eyes with these types of tactics. So if it feels too good to be true, it probably is. It is a good idea to take the time to find companies who are truly committed to the environment and, therefore, whose products you can trust to be green.

Greenwashing is a sad and senseless fact of this move towards eco-responsibility. But as more and more people wise up to the deceptive tactics of unscrupulous companies the sooner they can be exposed for the frauds they are. If you are looking to do business with a company who has a real commitment to being Earth-friendly visit RockYourBusinessOnline.com for information about starting a home based business that helps you make money while saving the planet.

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How you go green depends very much on where you are in your business. People who want to start a green business will definitely have an easier time of it than people with an already established business. In either event, here are a few tips for building a sustainable business that will help you prosper in this new era of eco-responsibility.

Start Small and Build on Success

When you want to go green, it can be tempting to make sweeping changes in order to hurry along the process of becoming more eco-friendly. But sudden changes can be difficult to maintain especially if you have employees. Instead of hitting hard and fast, go slow and steady to give everyone involved plenty of time to adjust.

Think Long Term

Get into the habit of thinking long term when making business decisions. A major aspect of a green business is the fact that the business has little to no negative impact on the environment. Therefore, whenever you make decisions about how your business is run, think about the long term consequences of your actions. What may seem inconsequential now may have a huge impact down the road.

Reduce Your Impact

If you manufacture products, work to reduce the impact your production has on the Earth. This includes reducing your consumption of resources, such as water and electricity, and reusing or recycling as much of the waste you produce as you can. Not only will you reduce your carbon footprint but you will save money in the process.

Get Employees Involved

If you employ people, get them involved in the company’s quest to go green. Solicit input about ways the business could be more eco-friendly. Offer incentives for helping the company achieve its sustainable business goals. Promote the reality that being an eco-friendly company takes team work and make sure you let them know how much you value all their efforts to help the business move in the right direction.

Get with the Green Program

Connect with an environmental group and involve your company in local green programs. The program can be as basic as planting trees or as elaborate as helping to raise money for green organizations by hosting fundraising events. If you have the time, space and knowledge, you can even create your own green community program which will give you a unique edge over your competition.

Building a sustainable business is a process that may take several years to complete. Take your time and implement changes that will stick. Before you know it, you’ll have a green business that you will be proud to own. If you are an entrepreneur looking to start a green business of your own, visit RockYourBusinessOnline.com for information about an eco-friendly business opportunity that has people all over the country turning a profit while turning green.

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1. It supplies eco-friendly products and services that reduce the need for similar conventional products and services.

2. Each business decision incorporates the principles of sustainable business development.

3. The business itself is more eco-friendly than its competition.

4. The business is committed to being eco-conscious in its day to day operations.

Basically, to be considered a green business a company must sell Earth-friendly products and have implemented a sustainable business strategy that focuses on running the business in a way that has little to no negative impact on the environment or society at large.

Building a sustainable business is just as important as going green in other areas of your life. One simple reason is a business that works in harmony with the Earth is far more likely to survive than a business that depends on nonrenewable resources or pollutes. Just think about it. If your company depends on a nonrenewable resource, when that resource runs out where does that leave your business?

Another good reason to have a green business is it helps you do your part to be a good conservator of the planet so that future generations can also enjoy the beauty and splendor offered by the Earth. It is a sad fact that if we don’t do something now, the next generation will be the first one to have ever inherited a planet that was worse off than when the previous generation received it. You don’t want our generation to go out like that now do you?

If those two reasons don’t do it for you, then building a green business is simply better for the bottom line. Using fewer resources, such as electricity and water, saves money. Coupled with the fact that most people are willing to pay a premium for Earth friendly products and you have a recipe for profits that you’ll be able to sustain for many years to come.

In the next article, I will pass along some tips for building a green business you can be proud of. In the meantime, if you a ready to earn green while going green visit RockYourBusinessOnline to learn about an eco-friendly business opportunity that has people building profitable green businesses all over the country.

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