Status report from Steve Ashkin, The Ashkin Group

Last month I promised to provide an update on the meeting organized by the Keystone Center on green marketing claims and greenwash. The meeting brought together a number of the major product manufacturers, government officials, academics, trade associations, and experts to discuss the issue of green label, green marketing and ultimately greenwash. The meeting was especially important as it coincides with the Federal Trade Commission’s effort to update their Environmental Marketing Guidelines and EPA’s recent announcement that they have put together a work group to consider allowing pesticides (i.e. disinfectants) to be certified by organizations like Green Seal and Environmental Choice, and to use their logos on their marketing materials.

The primary outcome of this initial meeting was an agreement that the issue was important and desired some serious effort and that the effort would continue and be expanded to include additional groups such as addition members representing the environmental community and consumers. We will keep you all up to date as this issue continues to develop.

From The Keystone Center's website (www.keystone.org): The Keystone Center seeks to solve our society’s most challenging environmental, energy, and public health problems. We bring together today’s public, private and civic sector leaders to confront these issues and we arm the next generation with the 21st Century intellectual and social skills required to effectively approach the questions they will face. Founded in 1975, the Center is a non-profit organization headquartered in Keystone, Colorado with offices in Denver, Washington, Boston, and Santa Fe.

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