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Valérie Védrines, sustainable marketing consultant at Masse Critique, gives a workshop to UQAM students.
By the way, what is a green product? It's a bit open to your interpretation, as much as to mine, replies Julien O. Beaulieu, economist and lawyer in environmental law.
Are we talking about energy use? Greenhouse gases? Are we talking about water use? Transportation? Does this include production? There is no definition and that is a big problem. These words are not subject to any definition, they are completely deregulated, he explains.
However, consumers are not fooled. A Deloitte study, published in June 2023, indicated that 57% of Canadian consumers do not believe most of the green product claims that companies make in relation to their brands.
However, not all certifications are bad, far from it, but you have to know how to clean up among the 400 logos and labels that circulate in the 'food industry.
We must distinguish certifications which are official, which can be regulated by law, such as organic certification, from independent certifications such as what is certified as fair trade, for example Fairtrade , which are managed by an independent organization, lists Julien O. Beaulieu.
There are self-certifications. There, it is a company which decides to self-certify itself. You might think the company has a bit of a conflict of interest. So, we must be even more wary of these kinds of allegations.
A quote from Julien O. Beaulieu, environmental law lawyer
The last category, the one that is perhaps the least credible, is that of generic claims, where we are simply told that a product is green, eco-responsible or sustainable, but without any indicator or verification. by a third party, he specifies.
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Julien O. Beaulieu, economist and lawyer in environmental law.
To help consumers find their way, the magazineProtégez -You recently launched the Le Décoder application, which evaluates different logos.
When we evaluate an eco-label or a logo, we base ourselves on three main things, explains the head of testing at Protect Yourself , Clémence Lamarche. First, transparency. If we go to the logo or eco-label website, will we have all the relevant information?
Then on robustness. Who does the assessment? How often? Are there any field visits carried out? And the third point is the scope: the processes, the ingredients that are used, biodiversity, workers' rights or even animal rights, says Clémence Lamarche.
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Clémence Lamarche, head of testing at Protégez-Vous.
By taking a photo of the logo, the consumer will quickly know, thanks to this application, whether it is serious or not.
Currently, we have 84 logos evaluated, of which 36 are present on food products and 27 on household cleaning products. We plan to add around thirty per year for the next few years, explains Ms. Lamarche.
Source : Competition Bureau Canada
Across the Atlantic, the European Union (EU) recently decided to ban greenwashing and advertisements for unsustainable products.
The EU notably bans generic environmental terms, for example “environmentally friendly”, “natural”, “biodegradable”, “climate neutral” or “climate neutral”. or "eco", without proof of recognized excellent environmental performance which justifies this mention, as well as assertions based on offsetting greenhouse gas emissions, the assertion that a product has a neutral impact, reduced or positive on the environment, according to the Parliament press release.
In Canada, Julien O. Beaulieu mentions that Ottawa is currently looking into a provision of the Competition Act which would force companies to carry out sufficient tests prior to certain of their environmental declarations, thus governing in particular the use of the term “carbon neutral”.
While waiting for stricter regulations on green designations, Valérie Védrines, sustainable marketing consultant at Masse Critique, recommends being vigilant, being informed and, above all, making sure to always have a truly critical eye.
< source srcset="https://rcavstaticstreaming.akamaized.net/img/92b1f230-f9f6-4d17-8842-f935ec2f4e63/HR/2024-03-06_19_30_00_EPI_1080_01_01.jpeg" media="(min-width: 0px) and (max- width: 1239px)">The report by Johane Despins and François Perré broadcast on the show “L’écoli”
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