Nature's Source feels so natural naturally - did I mention natural? | The Greenwash Brigade

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Nature's Source feels so natural naturally - did I mention natural?

Ever wonder what “natural” means? S.C. Johnson just released a line of new cleaning products called Natures Source (tm) and in the company’s press release they used the term “natural” or “naturally” 18 times. You bet these products are natural!

To its credit, the company has been cleaning up its act so to speak, by utilizing screens to improve the environmental characteristics of its products. The only beef I have here is that from a legal and regulatory perspective, there is no definition of natural and the glossary of terms on their web site is merely a simplified wish list of ingredient characteristics. The process by which plant based materials are derived leads to different results. Citrus based cleaners often contain d-limonene which can be sensitizers and affect human health.

Natural also does not necessarily mean non-toxic nor does it mean non-irritating.

What they won’t tell you is that the 1% of the ingredients that are not “natural” includes fragrance. The term “fragrance” is a toxic free-for-all meaning that between ten and 100 toxic ingredients can be used legally within the product formulation but they do not have be disclosed on the product label.

Go find a toxicologist who can tell you what’s in here… could be good news but please tone down the PR on natural. But the industry knows that natural sells even though it’s meaningless.

(Image from http://www.naturessourcecleaners.com)

April 9, 2009 by Heidi Siegelbaum
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tags: cleaning products natural S.C. Johnson

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Our hand-picked environmental professionals, each part of the Public Insight Network, are on the hunt for "greenwash" as they examine eco-friendly claims by companies, governments and other groups. They ask tough questions about the mainstreaming of green, from the perspectives of people in the trenches who are focused on these issues 24/7.

Jim Nicolow is a nationally recognized expert on sustainable design and leads the sustainability initiative for Lord, Aeck & Sargent, overseeing the incorporation of sustainable design strategies and features into the firm’s design projects. He is a LEED® Accredited Professional with extensive knowledge of the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED rating system.

Janne K. Flisrand has worked as an affordable housing and urban planning research consultant for five years, primarily supporting local non-profits. Her focus is on transit, transit-oriented design, affordable housing, and sustainability. Currently, she’s the program coordinator for Minnesota Green Communities, a program promoting affordable, healthy, sustainably built housing throughout Minnesota.

Dennis Markatos-Soriano recently completed a Master's in Public Affairs at Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School. He is now launching Sustainable Energy Transition (SET) to help individuals and institutions move from dependence on oil and gas to an efficient use of renewables. Previously, he co-founded SURGE (Students United for a Responsible Global Environment), which aims to bring young progressives together across issues of environmental and social justice throughout North Carolina and beyond. In the summer of 2006, he helped to start a small green company, Greenway Pedicabs, to provide a greenhouse gas-free transportation option for people in the Triangle of North Carolina.

Heidi Siegelbaum is a principal with Calyx Sustainable Tourism and works primarily on advancing sustainable tourism practices. She also specializes in science translation, cross-border indicators with Canada, cross-disciplinary planning and environmental technical assistance to businesses. Previously, she was in-house legal counsel for EPA for industrial chemicals and biotechnology and the senior performance measure analyst with the Washington State Department of Ecology. She is on the technical advisory committee of the Seattle Culinary Academy and a long standing member of the Chefs Collaborative.

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