20 - Friday, June 14, 1991 - North Shore News

All dressed up in ‘green’, but nowhere to go

THE INFRODUCTION of guiding principles for the use
of environmental clams in labelling and advertising was
recently announced by the federal Minister of Consumer

and Corporate Affairs.

The guiding prinaipigs and
speech made ty Minister Pierre
Blais provide us with sume good
tools with which fo make eritical
choices when filling our shopping
carts.

“We have seen during the past
few years @ strong “prise de con-
science’ by Canadians towards
their environment.’ stated Bkais,
“And industry, to its credit, has
responded to Utose cancerns,

“tintortunately, same people
have uried to take advantage of
this new tend and the result is
that today we are surrounded with
environmental claims of all kinds.
Some are true and useful. But
others are meaningless and even
tend to discredit those substan-
tiated by fact.”

This is not news to those of you
who have been changing your
shopping habits to emphasize
more environmentally friendly
products.

Many products dress themselves
in *‘green’’ when they have little,
if any, right to do so.

An article in last month's Fi-
nancial Post magazine, titled
**Eco-Hype,”’ covered some of my
own pet peeves, such as disposable
diaper manufacturers claiming

Peggy
Trendell-Whittaker

|

that their diapers are compostable
~-- maybe in a very few test mar-
kets, but certainly not in the vast

ECOINFO

majority of areas where the
diapers are sold.
Another misleading label that

gcts my goat is one 1 mentioned in
this column almost a year ago
after 'd done a survey of local
supermarket shelves.

It's Loblaws’ ‘*Green’’ All-
Purpose Cleaner. We could be ex-

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° SAA ga ‘in cocking area

© Removable glass Side troys

e Timerana thermometer”

e Glass cP king Window
B © (2 quick connect hose :
He No Messy Lava Rocks f
HAEKO GAS Appliances
B (@40 LONSDALE AVE. NVANCOUVER |

Adinision ot AERO PembinatGs OBP?- 2022

cused tor thinkine that ‘tpreer”
would refer to tne NoM-toxiiy of
The ingredivnts used oi the pro-
dhe.

in tae. Gere as tne indigatian
on tio bagel tbat tiie substances is
HEIN TROOPS alin ft
thar

aint

aomaitheter’s maginggoan, relers fo
the ff that oonmthdren ate
discouraged fron: investing the
cleaner because of the inclusion of
Bitres, supposedis the most bitter
substance Known £0 us.

And so it goes. Buver pewaure.
The following statement, excerp-
redo trom Consumer and Cor-
porate Affairs Canada’s labelling
wiugdehnes wilh hein Sou read oan
adbveriisement or Line. more oie
igual.

Ambiguaus Carns

Natgue stutements su
seranmentaliv saie.* “ozone
Trienddy 7 ar ve are mean:
thiless without further product in-
formato:

Po make Utesc
meaninghuk thes

As "ene

SULIT
should be quati-

fied by» widine specific produc:
vharucteristigs stich as bare
vironmentlly Friendly — contains
20% post-consumer recycled ma-
terials" Claims must be bitsed: ori
adequaie and proper test restulis.

In the absence of adequate and
proven tests demonstrating that
the product either heips the en
Vironment OF causes no damage to
ay the unqualified use of terms
thar imply environmental benefit
should not be used.

See Degradation pare 24

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