We Are All Greenwashers
Greenwashing comes in many forms. Vague language. Overstated claims. False associations. And the packaging you yourself are responsible for creating and/or processing.
Come again?
Yes. You know it well. The chasing arrows logo on packaging, with 1-7 in the middle. Yes, it’s a convenient identifier for recyclers and waste processors. But there’s a problem here. The general public thinks it means it means it’s recyclable. Not that it’s possible to do so “where facilities exist,” as some in the product world would say on their packaging. No, they think, across the board, this means they can toss their used packaging in the recycle bin, and voila, poof, it will get recycled, they’ve done their eco duty!
You and I know that in many cases, that’s not true.
Unless you live somewhere where the municipality is playing a part in subsidizing the recycling of the less profitable types of material, or you’ve magically found a way to recycle every last bit that comes into your facilities, there’s a good deal of material that ends up diverted to the landfill.
And yet, if you were to be purely logical, leaving the number for identification purposes, removing the chasing arrows graphic, would people recycle less overall? Is it too late, is this symbol so embedded and tightly linked with recyclability that it would be detrimental to not include it?
Perhaps, but then again, so is tons of material being either clogging recycling systems and leading to damaged machines and/or inferior material. All of which, in our challenging economy, you can’t afford to continue tolerating.
You could play it safe and leave things as is, waiting for a time when an increasing range of materials are once again recycled. But, honestly, has there ever been a time when every category, 1-7 was recycled, regularly? We’re deceiving ourselves, and consumers, and I think something needs to be done about it.
What about you? How can you as product designer help make it clear what is and isn’t recyclable, and/or create more products in the most commonly recycled categories today?
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Tom, you hit on a great topic. My company, Eco-Products - www.ecoproducts.com - has a brand of environmental foodservice disposables (cups, plates, containers, etc.) and we wrestle with this problem everyday. The current 1-7 coding system is confusing for consumers. We are involved in helping redefine the system through the ASTM, but even then the problem won't be solved. We have also started color coding some of our products when possible - for example having a green stripe on compostable cups. However, that's not the end-all solution either. My belief is that there needs to be more consumer education on recycling and investment in sorting equipment at recycling facilities. That's a tough issue to tackle though. I'm going to post a link to this article on my blog www.ecoramblings.com. Thanks for addressing this topic!
What about the large area of the country where there is no curbside recycling to place these 1-7 recyclables into. Think Florida for instance. Is that greenwashing?
What about the large area of the country where there is no curbside recycling to place these 1-7 recyclables into. Think Florida for instance. Is that greenwashing?
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