That Energy Star Label Might Be Lying

Green-themed false advertising is everywhere: More than 95% of consumer products on the market make some sort of unproven claim or outright lie about environmental benefits, a new study shows. In fact, about 12,000 examples of so-called greenwashing (unsubstantiated claims of being "all-natural" or free of BPA chemicals, for instance) were found in only 5,000 products examined. The most common example of outright lies came on Energy Star labels for appliances, reports the Wall Street Journal.

The 95% mark is actually slightly better than the 99% found when TerraChoice first conducted its survey in 2007. But greenwashing remains at 99% for baby toys and products, particularly on BPA claims. "The scary thing is that manufacturers are not providing independent proof of these claims," the director of a product-safety testing firm tells the Journal.
(More greenwashing stories.)