Consumer NZ says a number of products on supermarket shelves are ‘greenwashing’

Consumer NZ is warning shoppers to not get sucked into the sustainability hole when choosing products in the supermarket.

An investigation by the watchdog into the green claims on a basket of supermarket goods found a number that were untrue, creating the potential for “greenwashing”.

Greenwashing is a term used to describe a false or misleading claim made by a brand or company about the positive impact it has on the environment.

Consumer’s shopping basket included a “planet conscious” air freshener, “industrial compostable” teabags, “ocean plastic” bags, chips and herbs in “compostable” packs, and “eco-friendly” cotton buds.

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Consumer emailed each of the companies and asked them to back up their claims, as well as looking on the company’s website for more information.

Once the answers were in, Consumer checked what they were saying was accurate for the NZ context.

“All nine items we looked at featured claims that were either unsubstantiated or risked misleading the shopper in some way,” Consumer NZ head of research Gemma Rasmussen said.

“Often ‘green’ products are sold at a premium to conscientious shoppers, but it can be very difficult to debunk what is real, and what is spin.”

So what are some brands that Consumer NZ says could be “greenwashing”?

Proper Crisps

Despite the word “compostable” being prominent on the front of the pack of Proper chips, there was not anything on the bag to back up the claim.

On its website, the company said the bags were made with certified home-compostable films, but Consumer NZ said this did not meet best practice guidelines developed by WasteMINZ and Plastics NZ for advertising compostable products and packaging.

The guidelines state that when packaging is made from certified compostable film, but had not been tested in its final form, “it should not be advertised as being suitable for home composting”.

The inks and glues used on the packaging might not meet composting standards, either.

A Proper spokesperson said it refuted any greenwashing claims regarding its home compostable packaging.

“We believe the packaging works and breaks down in effective home-composting conditions in around 12 months, meeting best practise,” she said.

“Our New Zealand supplier has spent a decade extensively testing composting products both commercially and in ‘real-life’ home composts, and we have many testimonials from satisfied customers and consumers.”

But the company said there was still “lots to do” when it came to packaging and there was no perfect answer for packaging that fits Proper’s product and the planet.

“We are intent on working towards better for both.”

Goodness Me Fruity Nuggets

Goodness Me Fruity Nuggets claimed to be “now in paper pouches all good”.

The paper pouches consisted of 65% Kraft paper and 35% CPP – a plastic.

“It’s misleading to say the packaging is ‘paper’ when in fact, it’s partly plastic,” Rasmussen said.

The company has since removed the claim about paper from its packaging.

Dilmah

Consumer raised concerns about the “biodegradable – industrially compostable” claims on Dilmah’s teabags because they could mislead consumers.

There are very few industrial compost facilities in New Zealand which means it is not practical for most New Zealanders to send their used tea bags to a composter.

“Given ‘biodegradable’ is slapped on the front of the box, many shoppers could end up throwing the tea bags into landfill,” Rasmussen said.

In response to Consumer’s concerns, Dilmah agreed to change the labelling until facilities for industrial composting were more widely available in New Zealand.

Glad

The Glad to be Green rubbish bags are made with 50% ocean plastic.

But Rasmussen said it was easy for consumers to get confused with the statement.

“At first glance a shopper may think an ‘ocean plastic recycled bag’ is made from plastic recycled from the ocean. But that’s not the case here.”

Ocean plastic was plastic collected within 50 kilometres of the shoreline in communities with no formal waste management – not from the ocean.

Botanica Air Wick room spray

The packaging states the room spray is “planet conscious” and “nature inspired”, which Rasmussen said did not mean anything.

“We think these claims could lead shoppers to think this product is better for the environment than alternative air fresheners.”

A spokesperson for the company said the term “nature inspired” was subjective rather than scientific.

It referred to sourcing essential oils “responsibly” and using ingredients sourced from nature.

“Just because an ingredient comes from nature doesn’t mean it’s harmless to people or the environment,” Rasmussen said.

Earth smart aqua wipes

“Earth Smart” was another meaningless term which misled consumers into thinking wipes were better for the environment than what they actually were, Rasmussen said.

A spokesperson for Cottonsoft (owner of Earth Smart) provided test results of biodegradability for the wipes in home compost.

But Cottonsoft recommended putting the wipes in landfill rather than home compost because of the presence of pathogens from baby poo.

“A claim of biodegradability must be accurate. With the presence of poo, these baby wipes need to go in the bin, just like every other brand on the market.”

Consumer’s sentiment tracker data shows almost half of New Zealanders were mindful of sustainability when shopping for groceries.

“Our investigation has not only highlighted how easy it is for manufacturers to use terms that are vague and meaningless, insinuating environmental kudos, but how easy it is for such products to be stocked on New Zealand shelves due to lack of enforcement.”

Consumer is calling for an independent investigation of greenwashing claims across multiple industries in New Zealand, and the introduction of new regulations to tackle “green” claims.

“We want New Zealanders to sign up to our campaign, and add their voices to our call to end greenwashing now.”