Who knew there were so many types of washing?!
As consumers, we are constantly bombarded with information of how we should be spending our money. Advertisements do a great job of using buzz words that make us feel good about our purchases. But just how much do we really know about the products we are buying? Lets take a look at some definitions,
Cleanwashing
What we all want when we pull our clothes out of the washing machine! Or when trying to get dressed in a hurry because we should have got out of bed 10 minutes earlier!
Greenwashing
This is practice of making an unsubstantiated or misleading claim about the environmental benefits of a product, service, technology or company practice. Greenwashing can make a company appear to be more environmentally friendly than it really is.
Fairwashing
Authentic Fair Trade includes such principles as direct buying from growers; fair prices; benefit to communities where products are grown; no child labor, forced labor, or otherwise exploited labor; transparency and traceability; among other key components.
Fairwashing is when unscrupulous manufacturers claim to be engaging in authentic Fair Trade practices but aren’t really. These less than ethical practices are adopted because they know it is good from a marketing perspective.
Here are some tips if you don’t want to be sucked in with Fairwashing
Look for accreditation logos on products eg Freeset is accredited by the World Fair Trade Orgainisation
Interact with companies like Marketplacers – ask us the hard questions.