Shoppers 'greenwashed by misleading eco claims'

Following on from my last article about Puma I came across an article in Metro by Fred Attewill. The article discusses a recent report by Which? who have been involved in investigating a number of 'eco' toilet cleaners, laundry tablets and nappies. These products all had varying degrees of 'eco' claims.

Tesco's Naturally label noted it did not contain hazardous chemicals, so by implying others in the range did which is not the case, since the report Tesco has changed it's labeling. Other companies such as Ariel and Persil have used logos suggesting they encouraged greener behaviour which is not been proven. The problem is obvious in a consumer sense, how can we be sure what we buy is the best possible product? in terms of not damaging the environment or improving it when there seems to be very little regulations to bring companies and brands into order?

Puma thinks outside the box with eco-packaging

After two years of research and designing, Puma have changed their shoe boxes. The new venture aims to cut water and energy usage by up to 60% and it is hoped will save up to 8,500 tonnes of paper usage throughout the company. It should also mean a reduction in transportation costs due to the lighter packaging. The article written by the BBC, has some nice quotes from Chief Executive, Mr Zeitz about the future of the company and it's goals to become a 'sustainable' environmentally responsible company.

"Over time we hope to be 100% recyclable, but at the moment we want to reach standards that are achievable today,"

"Business is part of the environmental problem; and we need to do what we can to fix it - companies need to lead the way.

"Meanwhile, consumers are becoming increasingly discerning in their choices and we need to address this too."

I think what is interesting about the article and the views expressed by Mr Zeitz are the realisation of where Puma are in their development. It is refreshing to hear a Chief Executive of a Multi-national company saying that they are not perfect and they have alot of work to do. The article does raise other interesting questions regarding it's involvement in motorsport's which seem to be in opposition to their new 'green journey'. There seems to be more than meets the eye and maybe another gimmick?