Green Group discussion

Do we trust labels, do we look for standard certifications and why don't products including food display air miles? Those are some of my questions but you probably have your own.
This article checks out some of the ways labels are perceived and what they may actually mean. While firms with a poor reputation can find it difficult to mend that perception.
https://earther.gizmodo.com/how-bogus...?

Greener Choices is a site which helps explain the meaning of labels. While it focuses on America, some - Fairtrade and organic - are universal.

http://greenerchoices.org/

They say:
"Greener Choices is an initiative from Consumer Reports that looks at the environmental impact of consumer choices. We investigate how the production, use, and disposal of consumer goods affect communities, both human and ecological. The Greener Choices website provides information for consumers who want to consider this impact.
The information that we provide can empower consumers to make choices that minimize harm and maximize benefits to people involved in production, the soils, water, and air that are critical to our health, wildlife and biodiversity, and the global climate."

Once again, regulations are important. There are representatives in the US who want to weaken labels. A strong consumer protection agency is critical.

Ireland has had issues caused by German and British supermarkets selling food labelled as 'produced in Ireland' which is not the same as 'produce of Ireland'. For instance, Spanish or German ham, brought in and sliced in Ireland before being vac-packed and sold as 'produced in Ireland'.

The better supermarkets display the country of origin of all meat clearly; those trying to hide it still have to show it according to EU law, but use country codes like ES as part of a barcode type label for Spain.

Not only are buyers not supporting Irish farmers, the meat has been transported a long way and they do not know what standards of care were applied to the animals.

https://www.ecowatch.com/eco-cleaning...

Cleaning products without scent or plastic etc. and how to find them.

Make use Of, which is a great site for consumers who want to understand their personal tech, provides a list of five sites we might like
These all show us how to lead a sustainable life, from slow fashion to natural deodorant in a re-usable case.

https://www.muo.com/sustainable-livin...

Another article from Make Use Of, listing sites where you can be helped to live sustainably. These include finding food to buy which would otherwise be wasted, and how to know if that pack at the back of the fridge is still safe to eat, or how to make compost with it.
Sounds like these would save you money, too.

https://www.muo.com/sustainable-sites...

A rather padded article from Eco Watch which is headed about how consumers can help solve the climate crisis but delves in to the Paris Agreement, what is counted as a high income household and more. The article comes from the World Economic Forum which accounts for this structure.
Anyway, past all the padding you get a list of five actions for the consumer which include checking your carbon footprint pre- and during pandemic, using an online calculator tool.

Other tips are to be more informed, make better choices and inform others. All good so give it a read.

https://www.ecowatch.com/consumerism-...

Reducing your digital carbon footprint. This starts with buying the appliance or gadget. Do you really need it, and is there a more energy-efficient one?
Then, how do you use it, and does it still draw power when not in use? (Flick the switch off for washing machines.)
What firms do you use online?
And what do you do with end of life gear?

https://www.makeuseof.com/ways-to-red...

A more sustainable holiday season, with tips provided by WWF. Since the vast majority of decorations are made in China and transported, my main tip would be to save decorations for reuse.

https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories...

More from Make use of, this time about responsible, sustainable photography. From buying pre-owned equipment to flying less often and celebrating less visited landscapes, they have a great list of tips for travel photographers.

https://www.makeuseof.com/how-photogr...

I would add, don't disturb wildlife, especially nesting birds, in search of a photo; but you knew that already.

Good article from RTE about greenwashing by some firms, from fashion to motoring. How can the consumer decide what is more sustainable, and which lies are being told? Carbon credits - what are they and do they just allow a company to keep polluting?

https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2022...

"A recent survey by PWC found that 72% of Irish consumers would pay a higher-than-average price for a product if they knew it was recycled, sustainable or eco-friendly.

But, of course, having notions of being more sustainable is one thing. Actually making products that are truly environmentally friendly or sustainable is harder, and often more expensive, than the polluting equivalent.

It can also take time and money for businesses to re-orientate their processes and supply chains to fit that.

So what many do instead is dress up what they’re already doing as green – or over-hype the small efforts they are making – in order to draw in that eager consumer’s spend.

That means they can boost profits without actually having to go through the hassle of making the kind of change that’s required."

Written by business journalist Adam Maguire who is producing a lot of useful content these days.

I've been sent the following about trying to give people alternatives to buying 'made in China'. I am told the person behind it has lived in China.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Fv6E...

A book on this topic:

The People's Republic of Chemicals



Of course, it's important to remember that something not Chinese made could also be polluting.

https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2022/11...

"Greenwashing is "the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service". However, it can also be carried out, intentionally or unintentionally, by governments or any other entity that makes misleading claims of the environmental performance or impact of their activities.

A useful way of understanding greenwashing is via the '7 sins of greenwashing', a set of 7 different ways in which greenwashing can occur. These sins, identified by Terrachoice in 2007, assist consumers in identifying and understanding misleading and/or false environmental claims.

The sin of the hidden trade-off
This sin focuses on one narrow pro-environmental attribute whilst neglecting to bring attention to more important and wider environmental issues of relevance. This sin, essentially the ‘tree hiding the forest’ is the most used. Examples include technology promoting energy efficiency without disclosing hazardous materials used in manufacturing or paper straws promoted as the sustainable option without acknowledging the large water used in manufacturing."


See the rest of the 'seven sins' explained at the link, but they are:

no proof
vagueness
false labels
irrelevance
the lesser of two evils
fibbing

The writers are from University College Cork.

HP which is Hewlett Packard, sent me this information. I am not sure what ocean-bound plastic is. Maybe they mean recycled, or ocean recovered?

"Every business leader knows the time has come to take action on climate change. At HP — as outlined in our Sustainable Impact Report 2021 — our strategy is to become the most sustainable and just IT company. We’re working towards net zero, and innovating our products and services for a more circular economy (such as The HP Dragonfly series made with ocean-bound plastics).

Careful procurement of IT products and services can play a vital role in achieving your sustainability goals. We’ve created a guide to show how you can obtain the best value for the most sustainable services or goods. Purchasing the future you want covers:

Aligning procurement with your sustainability goals
The circular economy ecosystem
Assessing the impact of your organization
Evaluating supplier transparency and performance
And much more...

Kind regards,
HP Marketing"

https://reinvent.hp.com/lp=10878?d_si...

The link takes you to a HP web page and you will have to accept cookies. Then you can download a booklet. This is about procuring goods, the supply chain, and a circular economy. The book is about purchasing the future you want, but it is a free download.
Way to impress in the office.

Ocean bound plastic is any plastic within 30 miles of a coast that can end up in the ocean.

They are using plastic that could have ended up in the ocean but didn't, instead it was recycled into cases for product lines such as cases for Dragon Fly series equipment.

Hard cases is probably a good use for recycled plastic. It doesn't get constantly ground up into little pieces that end up everywhere, like when it is used for shoes that get worn down.

They say they used recycled plastic bottles that came from Haiti.

Its just an advertising gimmick. All it means is that recycled waste plastic that was located within 30 miles of the coast was used to make something. It's possible the waste plastic would have never gotten into the ocean.

https://docpjharvey.com/ocean-bound-p...

Thanks, at least they are doing some recycling and encouraging business to think about the recycling chain. I am sure a lot more will be needed.

This is an excellent, clear and simple dataviz showing us the foods with the highest climate impacts.
Plant and meat foods are separated by colour. Farmed fish and shellfish only are included, I do not know if wild-caught are harder to measure but the biodiversity impact would be massive.
Underneath are the 5 most water intensive foods, cheese and nuts highest.

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/rank...

https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2024/06...

"The United Nations Environment Programme defines a green economy as one which is "low carbon, resource-efficient and socially inclusive". A consumer's contribution can include the consumption of products with recycled and sustainable materials, purchasing responsibly sourced products and buying locally. An alternative approach is to reduce consumption. Logistics company UPS uses the analogy of 'the greenest mile being the mile not driven'. Reduced consumption could include minimising food wastage and curtailing the use of damaging materials such as plastic.

But one of the largest challenges in the pursuit of sustainability is the consumer intention-behaviour gap. Also referred to as the value-action or 'say-do' gap, this refers to the gulf between consumers’ positive intentions towards sustainable consumption, and their actual consumption behaviour. While we may positively predisposed to acting sustainably, we may not subsequently do so.

It is a compelling phenomenon to consider because consumer concern about the environment is evident. A World Advertising Research Centre report indicates that many tourists are now actively taking climate change into consideration when selecting a holiday destination. The report predicts that increasing temperatures may negatively influence demand for warmer holiday destinations, as tourists weigh up such health risks as dehydration as well as disruption to air-travel.

Many explanations for the intention-behaviour gap have been offered. Academic research has identified a perception of higher prices as being a deterrent. In a recent Deloitte study of 1,000 Irish consumers, 49% of respondents said they were motivated to take action on climate change and wished to change their own personal behaviour accordingly. But 41% indicated they had not bought sustainable goods in the last four weeks due to the perceived high price of such goods.

Other factors explaining consumers' predisposition to consume sustainably include the level of environmental knowledge, demographics and social influences such as peers and reference groups. Industry research by Unilever in 2023 suggested that social media is a key source of sustainability information for consumers, with social media influencers being identified by 78% of respondents as having the largest impact on their green behaviours, compared to 20% of respondents citing government campaigns."