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https://onestepoffthegrid.com.au/ignore-the-green-fluff-australians-are-often-being-misled-about-electrical-appliance-choice/>
"Australians are often being misled when they try to make sustainable
electrical appliance choices, and consumer law isn’t doing enough to protect
them.
Erin Turner, the CEO of the Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC), told the
SwitchedOn Australia podcast, vague green claims are everywhere, making it
hard for people to know whether they’re actually making an environmentally
responsible choice.
“We know from our research so far that two out of five major appliances had
what we call vague green claims,” says Turner. “A little graphic design
treatment can make it look like a trust mark. That’s not a trust mark. It’s
designed to look like a trust mark, but it means nothing.”
The CPRC has been conducting a study into what information people actually need
when purchasing major appliances.
Through mystery shopping and focus groups, they found that consumers
overwhelmingly want to make environmentally responsible choices, but the
information they’re being fed is confusing and misleading.
Whilst 96% of people said they use the energy star ratings scheme, which is
backed by science and quality, comparable information, to make their purchases,
80% said they also use vague green claims as part of their decision making.
“They don’t have the information they most need to make their decisions,
particularly about how long a product will last and how easy it will be to
repair once it breaks.”
Consumers can also be easily tricked by meaningless eco-labels, vague
sustainability claims, and marketing distractions.
“There was one claim we looked at from an appliance company that said it would
plant a tree for every purchase made,” Turner says. “It’s a distraction. It’s
not helpful. But this is the information that’s in front of people.”
And while Australian Consumer Law prevents companies from outright lying, it’s
not strong enough to stop greenwashing.
“Greenwashing is a bit more insidious,” Turner explains. “These claims that a
product is eco or that there’s a green future at home, they’re not necessarily
incorrect, so it’s hard for regulators to crack down on them. Instead, they’re
unhelpful.”
Unlike Australia, the European Union has already cracked down on greenwashing,
prohibiting companies from using unverified generic environmental assertions
such as “environmentally friendly,” and forcing them to back up any
sustainability claims with actual evidence.
France has even introduced a repairability index, making it easy for consumers
to compare how long appliances will last and whether they can be repaired.
“That’s exactly what we need to ensure durability and repairability,” Turner
says. “If we’re asking everyone to electrify their homes, it’s not a good
outcome if, in five years, all the products they’ve purchased for that
electrification point have to be scrapped.”
Turner believes the Australian government needs to step up. “We need a federal
government to commit to a right to repair,” she says. “We’re missing a key part
of our consumer law protection framework.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
