That’s presumably what Maria Guadalupe Ellis did before filing a recent class action suit against Nike, one of several high-profile greenwashing cases against mega-retailers. Unfortunately, it’s up to us, the consumers, to sort through the greenwashing and find the truth.” Marketers can say whatever they like unless someone files a lawsuit and brings them to court, they get away with it. “What that means is that it’s kind of the Wild West. “There are currently no binding federal laws around sustainability claims,” says Meg Carney, host of The Outdoor Minimalist Podcast, and author of a book by the same name. When it’s the latter, it’s called greenwashing, and it’s a real problem.

And because you care about the planet, you probably buy products based on those claims, thinking that you’re doing the earth a solid.īut here’s the thing: they’re often just words–very carefully chosen marketing words intended to make you feel good and virtuous about buying that product.

Write to her at seen the labels: eco-friendly, sustainable, recyclable, recycled, compostable, biodegradable, natural, plastic-free, and more.

Outside’s Head of Sustainability, Kristin Hostetter, explores small lifestyle tweaks that can make a big impact. Doing right by the planet can make you happier, healthier, and-yes-wealthier.

Fishing planet new maps