Eco Certifications Proliferate, Confuse Consumers

Scottsdale, AZ, April 2, 2009--Kevin Owsley recently went searching for a reputable organization that could validate the eco-friendly traits of his company's carpet-cleaning fluid.

But after checking out a dozen competing groups hawking so-called "green certification" services, he grew disillusioned about how meaningful any endorsement would be to his customers, according to a story in the Wall Street Journal.

"If you want green certification bad enough, you can get it," Owsley, owner of Cleanpro USA LLC, a Scottsdale, Ariz., told the Journal. His company franchises carpet and upholstery cleaning businesses. "I joke and say, 'I could buy some of these companies a case of beer, and they'd give us a certification.' I'm very frustrated by that."

As green marketing has proliferated, so has the number of "eco-labels" competing to be the environmental equivalent of a Good Housekeeping seal of approval. According to the Web site ecolabelling.org, there are more than 300 such labels.

Timber to make wood products is graded by a host of groups -- among them the Forest Stewardship Council, the American Tree Farm System and the Tropical Forest Foundation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency itself awards multiple eco designations, while a sea of smaller entities can be found operating online under names such as greenbiznow.com, societyofgreenbusiness.com and begreencertified.com.

Some label programs, such as those run by the Forest Stewardship Council require third party verification of manufacturers' green claims. But many others don't, partly because of cost and manpower, they say.

The result is increasing confusion among consumers about the veracity of green marketing promises and a growing sense that the federal government may need to take a stronger role in shaping standards people widely recognize and trust.