Eco Sense Insect Killer

First it is an insect KILLER that is green. Second, the only thing that makes it "green" is the fact the container is made from 25% recycled content but doesn't "persist", so ok to consume plants sprayed with it. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't eat anything that touches something that kills bugs on contact. It is product marketing like this that leads to consumer confusion and dilutes laudable efforts by products that are good for the environment.
on | |

Macbook

The MacBook's standpoint, or argument, for being "green" is its reduced packaging, better energy efficiency, and use of more recyclable materials in its build, such as mercury-free LED technology, arsenic-free glass, and brominated flame retardants (BFRs), etc. But while it may be true that the MacBook is composed of materials that come from more recyclable materials than traditional notebooks (up until this point in technology), the "green" factor here is definitely misleading. What is not listed here are the still harmful effects of manufacturing the product. The circuit boards for example are composed with the use of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), which contain: fluoride, acids, and halogenated solvents for cleaning; acids, stannic oxide, palladium, and complexed metals for electroless plating; and vinyl polymers, and chlorinated hydrocarbons for pattern printing. The irony is that the most environmentally damaging impact from laptops is when you throw them away. 
on | |

SaraLee Earth Grains

Despite the fact that Sara Lee claims to "preserve the Earth, one field at a time," the company's EarthGrains product line has never been made with organic flour or any other organic ingredients. Another painfully obvious example of greenwashing: "This product is now made with 20% EcoGrain wheat!" brags the label. I searched the label carefully, hopefully seeking an indication that Sara Lee was making a switch to organic grains. Not so. According to Sara Lee's own literature, the only difference between EcoGrain wheat and conventional wheat is a 15% reduction in synthetic fertilizer use. Since each loaf of Earth Grains bread contains 20% EcoGrain wheat, EarthGrains bread actually offers a mere 3% reduction in fertilizer use.
on | |

American Spririt

In this advertisement, American Spirit is claiming that they grow their cigarettes in an earth-friendly form. They also state that the materials they use are recycled, and they utilize wind towers that promote a greener environment.  However, cigarette smoking is harmful for people, as well as the environment. Scoring this ad was difficult, due to the contradicting nature of the promotion. Does the company engage in producing a product that is better for the environment? Only in the way they are gathering the material and producing the product. The smoking of cigarettes is environmentally unfriendly. . It’s contradicting to state that a product is greener, while also having a warning from the surgeon general explaining the health implications of smoking.
on | |

IceBox

This company is promoting an "ecological" alternative to bottled water. Boxed water from melting glaciers...shipped across the world for your enjoyment. They claim that the box is better for the environment. 
on | |

Absolut

It is hard to believe that a vodka can be all-natural. Consumers cant even locate the actual ingredients anywhere. Some sites stated that there were small amounts of resh fruit in the drinks, but there is skepticism because Absolut vodka tastes very fruity to me. How do they preserve the vodka with natural fruit in it and why are there no seeds? The all-natural statements are trying to make the consumer feel better about drinking alcohol. Hey, at least its good for you, right?
on | |

Banana Republic




In 2009, Banana Republic launched an “It’s Easy Being Green” promotion that requires using their reusable bag to get 10 percent off your purchases. Reusable shopping bags are green, yes? Not always so, and especially not when Banana Republic is manufacturing thousands of bags made from conventional cotton that takes tons of pesticides to produce. BR also required consumers to buy a new bag to be part of the promotion, denying smart eco-minded shoppers who brought their own. 
on | |

Coke


Soft drink production uses an enormous amount of water, and leaves behind tons of waste. Coca-Cola knows this. Its new “going-green” features stylish green cans and highlights the company’s water conservation efforts. Coca Cola has partnered with WWF to preserve seven of the world’s major rivers. It is also helping conservation projects in water-stressed areas throughout the world. Oddly, Coca Cola fails to mention is how these sensitive water sources became stressed in the first place. It takes about 2.5 liters of water to produce just one liter of product at Coke’s bottling plants. Coca-Cola sells 1.5 billion beverages a day in over 200 countries. In 2006, Coca-Cola and its bottlers used 80 billion gallons (290 billion liters) of water to produce beverages — equivalent to one-fifth of the daily water usage of the U.S. Approximately 40% of that went into producing their popular drinks like Coke, Sprite and Fanta, while the other 60% was consumed by the firm’s supply chain and the production of ingredients, including the water-intensive process of growing sugar and corn for corn syrup. Not to mention the amounts of plastic waste the company’s plastic bottles produce. 
on | |

BP


The green stylized flower of BP suggests that BP is a company that is both environmentally friendly and responsible. Even as BP claims to be concerned about emissions—they speak frequently about their efforts to develop “clean energy” sources– they continue to pull out of renewable research, even their own previous investments in renewable energy.
on | |

Huggies Green


Huggies’ Pure and Natural line invites consumers to discover the “pure bliss of a diaper that includes gentle, natural materials.” The actual organic content remains a mystery. Also, Kimberly Clark won’t reveal whether the cotton is certified organic. The diapers also don’t include organic cotton on the inside surface of the diaper, which actually touches the baby’s skin.  Huggies also wraps their Pure and Natural line in packaging boasting a laughable content of 20% post-consumer materials. True eco-companies are going big by using 100% and using unbleached cotton in their baby products. Huggies also does not sell a single biodegradable diaper.
on | |

Ice Mountain

This ad from Ice Mountain encourages the green qualities of bottled water- however, bottled water is a major user of energy and natural resources and is not 'green' at all. And all of these facts about recycling are stretched- and also requires the drinker to recycle it in the first place.
on | |

Fiji Water

on | |

Fur

Fur Council of Canada (FCC) encourages each of us to be environmental activists by buying more fur. The FCC is hoping that you will buy into their feel-good image that the fur industry is a vital part of the livelihood of rural families and an environmental protector. Somehow, you can make an “ecological choice in harmony with nature” by wearing an animal taken from the local ecosystem on your epidermis.
on | |

Paper plates

GreenGlobe paper plate company calls its land-fillers “eco friendly biodegradable talbeware” GG’s logo is green, their name is green, and their homepage images are of green mountains, fields and a few rainbows for good measure. Even if their products are as green as they say they are, the point remains that these plates are still single-use, disposable items just like those old, flimsy paper plates that left you wearing your meal on your lap.
on | |

Starbucks

Starbucks encourages drinkers to bring reusable mugs. But how many people will actually bring there own mug?They also say that they will eliminate 600,000 tons of waste. How will we actually know how many tons of waste they reduce and how does Starbucks know they can eliminate that amount?
on | |

Sunchips

Sunchips claim that they made with solar energy. The claim doesn’t mention, however, how much of the manufacturing energy used to the make the chips is offset by solar.
on | |

Cheetos Natural

Cheetos brand hope you’ll forget their signature day-glo orange puffs in favor of a high-fat, low-nutrient “natural” alternative. However, they still contain high-fructose corn syrup, oil, and corn from genetically modified sources.
on | |

Green Works

Clorox is using common greenwashing images of a leafy forest to cash in on the green revolution and to promote their Green Works Cleaning Wipes They advertise the wipes as being biodegradable, but what about the chemicals in the wipes, how well do they break down in the environment? And the plastic container that these wipes are packaged in is definitely not biodegradable. 
on | |

Horizon Milk

Dean Foods, the country’s largest dairy company, downgraded several well-established Horizon products from organic to “natural,” an unregulated, relatively meaningless term. Dean didn’t inform major retailers of the switch. Instead,  they stealthily removed the word “organic” from the packaging without making any other changes, prompting national retailers like Target, to mislabel non-organic dairy products as organic.
on | |

OB

Tampons without applicators, like OB's, claim to save up to one pound of landfill waste per woman, per year by foregoing applicators. But they don’t mention the tons of herbicides, insecticides, fertilizers, fungicides, and other chemical used to produce cotton crops in the United States. Sorry o.b., but there is nothing green about chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects or wildlife toxicity
on | |

Kraft Post Select

Kraft's Post Selects Cereals falsely promote its cereals as having "natural ingredients" when, in fact, the corn used in the cereal is genetically engineered -- made in a lab, not by nature.
on | |

Tyson Chicken

Tyson, was busted for slapping an “all natural” label on its chickens, even though they’re treated with antibiotics and fed GMO corn.
on | |

Herbal Essences

Herbal Essences has claimed a “truly organic experience” in the past. But lauryl sulfate, propylene glycol and D&C red no. 33 aren’t really that organic. Neither are the synthetic fragrances. 
on | |

Sites

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16754919

http://depts.washington.edu/exposure/

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ConsumerNews/greenwashing-green-claims-accurate/story?id=8999483&page=2

http://www.greenwashing.net/

http://www.businesspundit.com/the-top-25-greenwashed-products-in-america/
on | |