Apr 2, 2009

As Eco-Seals Proliferate, So Do DoubtsBy Gwendolyn BoundsOnline.WSJ.com

It’s too easy to be green.

Recently, Kevin Owsley went searching for a reputable organization that could validate the eco-friendly traits of his company’s carpet-cleaning fluid. But after canvassing a dozen competing groups hawking so-called “green certification” services — including one online outfit that awarded him an instant green diploma, no questions asked — he grew disillusioned about how meaningful any endorsement would be to his customers.

“If you want green certification bad enough, you can get it,” says Mr. Owsley, owner of Cleanpro USA LLC, a Scottsdale, Ariz., company that 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 putting a green stamp on everything from cosmetics and seafood to bird-friendly coffee.

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.

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