Environmentally friendly products have been gaining popularity in recent years with both consumers and companies. Companies that produce such products win “cool points” with customers, and can generally charge more for their efforts. Generally, no set standards exists on what constitutes an “environmentally friendly product”, so companies labeling their products in this manner have created their own standards. The “International Organization for Standardization” considers current labeling efforts for eco friendly wares to be too vague, so companies using these labels have not been officially endorsed by any official organization.

Lack of Labeling Standards Hurts Mass Product Appeal

Just from this fact alone we can gleam that the caveat of “buyer beware” is particularly apt when it comes to purchase “green products.” Since labeling the products is voluntary, and carried out by the companies who stand to profit the most from product sales, you can quickly understand how consumer abuse could ensue. Many consumers are well aware of this limitation, and it’s an issue that will have to be addressed in order for the mass acceptance of eco-friendly products to happen.
Even the United States Environmental Protection Agency has ruled that current eco friendly labels are “useless” when it comes to determining whether the product is actually friendly to the environment or not.

Until labeling is standardized, the consumer will have to become extremely informed before making product purchases and assuming what they’re buying is “green.” This will take research.
People Expect To Pay More For Environmentally Friendly Products
Another possible area of abuse of consumers comes from the fact that many people have gone on record as saying they’ll pay more for the products.

“Many American consumers, even in the face of economic uncertainty, express a willingness to pay more for environmentally friendly products,” said Anthony Leiserowitz, director of Yale Project on Climate Change. “Toyota can’t make the Prius fast enough to meet consumer demand, to cite just one example, and many see ‘green’ products as the wave of the future.”

People’s willingness to pay more, coupled with a voluntary self-labeling program, means many manufacturers will be tempted to charge more for products that aren’t really doing all that much for the earth. Not only that, the labeling will help boost their sales as well as their selling price.

Environmentally Friendly Products are here to stay

Despite labeling woes currently, environmentally friendly products are here to stay. As the consumer segment grows, consumer protection and standardization will grow along as well. The key is that consumers are given more eco friendly choices. When they are, they appear willing and able to purchase the products. As more people buy such goods, the impact on the environment will be significant. Plus, more than ever, companies are motivated to offer products that are “green.”