Deceptive Marketing and the Coral Reef Killer

I just picked up National Geographic´s Summer 2008 Green guide from the grocery store, and while in line, an older gentleman behind me said to me, "You know most of that green stuff doesn´t even work." I looked at him and he goes on to tell me about how one news organization (which one, I don´t remember) tested over 60 products that claimed to be green and out of the 60 only two were really as green as they claimed to be. He said some company´s would put a little picture of a green leaf and make it seem like their products were all natural when they weren´t.

I told him, "Yeah, well I guess it was only a matter of time before the marketing people jumped on the ´green´ bandwagon to spin their products and the perception of the consumer.

Of course, this conversation with Mr. Random didn´t make me put the magazine back, but it did make me ponder for a moment about the ethical standards of a company that would walk the tightrope of deception with its consumers. None of this is new, I know, but after reading about how many sunscreens use the term "reef-friendly" and this term is not regulated, I realized that this means every term on every product we purchase is really up for translation.

Let me just back up and say that I didn´t know that there was a need for "reef-friendly" sunscreen. Maybe it´s because I don´t use sunscreen much. Hardly at all. What I found out today though, is that, three months ago, a study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives found that sunscreens that use certain chemicals like benzophenone, cinnamate and preservatives called parabens, triggers viral infections in coral, causing them to bleach and die.

I would have never connected the use of sunscreen to the death of coral, although it makes sense when you realize that 25% of the sunscreen you apply washes off.

Fortunately, all sunscreens are not created equal, and what´s good for coral is good for you. The Green Guide suggests using sunscreens that are plant-based rather than petroleum-based and opting for sunscreens that use physical barriers (reflecting UV rays before they reach your skin) versus chemical UV barriers (absorbing UV rays before they damage your skin).

As for deceptive marketing, all we have are our courts, lawyers and our own beyond-common sense.

The Wrighter - http://kobina.blogspot.com