Who's guarding against greenwashing?

When it comes to guarding against inflated green claims, there are plenty of watchdogs out there, but is there, or should there be, someone watching over your company’s own green claims before they are even made?

For consumers, the watchdog with the sharpest teeth is the Federal Trade Commission, which considers whether companies overstep green claims in their advertising. Earlier this year, the FTC announced actions against three companies, including Kmart, alleging deceptive claims about the biodegradability of certain products. I’ve also come across a consumer-focused Web site called the Greenwashing Index that uses site visitor ratings to judge the veracity of sustainability claims in advertising. While that sort of social-network-driven index seems highly subjective, I mention the site as evidence that there are plenty of external groups taking aim at greenwashing. That begs the question–should companies making green claims have some sort of internal watchdog function or review over their marketing or advertising departments?

My guess is that more progressive companies already have their sustainability directors working closely with their marketing people to ensure the right (read “conservative”) claims about green performance get out there. In my view, a strong link should exist between sustainability, product, and marketing leadership. In other words, be your own watchdog.