First, a little bit about Green Works. They're a line of naturally-derived cleaning products brought to you by the makers of Clorox, offering consumers the same cleaning power without chemical fumes or residue. They offer glass cleaner, dish soap, laundry detergent, stain removers, and toilet bowl cleaners. How do they define "natural?" Well, that's a good question. Apparently, they're subjecting their products to the standards of The Natural Products Association, which has developed a Natural Standard for Home Care Products. Their criteria includes ingredients that are 95% natural, no animal testing, prohibited ingredients, and biodegradable ingredients with sustainable packaging, whenever possible. Five of Green Works' products have already passed this test and are labeled with the NPA certified seal, but this particular laundry detergent isn't one of the products.
Initial Observations: At first glance, the bottle definitely gives the impression of a green product. The main colors are green and white. The Green Works logo is accented with a flower, and another larger flower sits above the logo. Below the logo is a claim that reads "96% naturally derived laundry detergent." On the back of the bottle, Green Works explains its philosophy of naturally-derived cleaning products, which involves strong cleaning power, plant-based biodegradable ingredients, no animal testing, and no chemical fumes or residues. It lists its ingredients on the bottle, with some written in both plain language and chemical terms. For instance, "water softener" is also known as "sodium gluconate." The final feature is a row of seals on the bottom: one that says they were recognized for "Safer Chemistry" by the EPA, one with their recycling number, one that says 96% naturally deprived, and one that says they support the efforts of the Sierra Club.
The Sins
Sin of the Hidden Trade-Off: A claim suggesting that a product is green based on a narrow set of attributes without attention to other important environmental issues.
This one is a little hard for me to speak to. Green Works detergent lays out all of its ingredients for the consumer to see, and many of them seem to be pretty good for the environment. If you visit their website (http://tinyurl.com/4m5s7fb), you'll find a list of their ingredients with individual explanations of what each of them comes from and does. For instance, alkyl polyglucoside is a cleaning ingredient derived from coconuts. If it's basing its definition of "green" off of using ingredients that can be found in the environment, then it's a pretty green product, compared to other detergents that use artificially-produced chemicals. However, it's important to remember that just because something comes from nature doesn't mean it's good for you. For instance, they claim calcium chloride is a "mineral-based ingredient", which is true, but that ignores the fact that calcium chloride can affect vegetation if it gets into the soil or water supplies. Also, they don't explain the processes they use to derive their natural ingredients, which may be harmful to the environment, even if the original ingredient isn't.
Sin of No Proof: An environmental claim that cannot be substantiated by easily accessible supporting information or by a reliable third-party certification.
Here, I have a bone to pick with Green Works detergent. It claims that 96% of its ingredients are naturally derived. But, I couldn't find any proof of that on the bottle or the website. It's pretty obvious that several of their ingredients come from nature, but the consumer can't tell what percentage of the detergent each ingredient makes up. Also, I ran into a contradiction on their website, which listed the detergent as 97% naturally derived. Not a big difference, but inconsistent enough to make me suspicious. It also sends up a red flag that the agency they use to evaluate their "natural" products, Natural Products Association, hasn't certified this product yet.
Sin of Vagueness: A claim that is so poorly defined or broad that its real meaning is likely to be misunderstood by the consumer.
This is probably the biggest issue I have with Green Works detergent. It claims to be 96% natural. But, what do they mean by "natural?" I couldn't find that defined anywhere. I thought it was especially funny that you can click on a "Why Natural?" heading, which leads you to a "natural: defined" page, which posts the Natural Products Association criteria. But, they still don't define what natural actually is. Again, natural doesn't always mean good. You can find lead in nature, but that doesn't mean you should use it in your products. Some of the ingredients, such as sodium hydroxide, have been linked to chemical burns. An ironic problem, considering the fact that the detergent claims to be okay for sensitive skin.
Sin of Worshiping False Labels: A product that, through either words or images, gives the impression of third-party endorsement where no such endorsement exists.
The Sierra Club label is a bit misleading, but there's an explanation next to it that says Green Works is a proud supporter of it, so the average consumer will understand that Sierra Club doesn't actually endorse the product. What's more interesting is that the product claims to be recognized by the EPA for Safer Chemistry, and gives a link to the EPA's website. When I checked, I found that, in general, Green Works products have been recognized, but their detergent hadn't been, so the label on the bottle is pretty misleading.
Sin of Irrelevance: An environmental claim that may be truthful but is unimportant or unhelpful for consumers seeking environmentally preferable products.
Overall, Green Works detergent doesn't commit this sin. This category is usually reserved for making claims that a product is free of an ingredient that has already been banned, like CFC.
Sin of Lesser of Two Evils: A claim that may be true within the product category, but that risks distracting the consumer from the greater environmental impact of the category as a whole.
Unfortunately, this is a sin that Green Works detergent will probably never escape. Within the category of detergents, this product is clearly better for the environment than the typical detergent. Unfortunately, detergent is a pretty harmful product. Both phosphate and phosphate-free detergents have been linked to a decrease in aquatic animals' ability to breed, which can be harmful to water-based ecosystems. Algae is able to overwhelm the ecosystem, which chokes other species. Also, the creator of Green Works, Clorox, makes a lot of cleaning products that harm the environment, especially those that contain bleach.
Sin of Fibbing: Environmental claims that are simply false.
I don't know if Green Works detergent lies, but it definitely does stretch the truth. The fact that it includes the EPA label at all leads the consumer astray, and it isn't certified by the Natural Products Association, so I wonder what's going on behind-the-scenes.
Overall, this product is...pretty sinful! It makes a lot of vague claims that can lead the consumer astray. Is it better for the environment than regular detergent? Definitely. Is it good for the environment in general? Maybe not. It's probably better to make your own detergent from environmentally-safe products, like borax, but that takes a lot of time and effort. So, Green Works is making a good first step into reducing environmental impact, but its bark is a lot bigger than its bite.
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