Greenwash Watch: SC Johnson's Greenlist
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.18.08
First of all, Windex is a pretty useless product, you can make your own pretty easily (recipe here on Planet Green). However now, you can buy it with green confidence because it has a Greenlist label on it. SC Johnson's Director of Global Environmental and Safety Actions says “The Greenlist logo will help consumers identify products that are environmentally responsible and deliver the performance excellence they trust and expect from SC Johnson.”
So we looked at the Material Safety Data Sheet and found that Windex Blue is composed of 95% water, 4% isopropanol (alcohol) and up to 1% ethylene glycol, that supremely toxic substance beloved of children and pets because of its sweetness. and wondered "Who could call that green?"
Well, it turns out SC Johnson can, because it made up the greenlist label. "SC Johnson developed the patented Greenlist(TM) process, a raw material rating system, to transform the way the company measures, tracks and advances its products to further the company's longstanding commitment to environmental responsibility. SC Johnson uses the Greenlist(TM) process to continually improve its products and minimize the impact they have on the environment and human health."
"So next time you reach for Windex® glass cleaner, Pledge® furniture polish, Toilet Duck toilet cleaner, or any SC Johnson product, you'll know you're getting not only the performance you trust and expect, but also making an environmentally responsible choice."
So if they decide that selling water with a little alcohol and poison in a plastic bottle is green, they can, because they own the label.
Green labels mean nothing if they are not independently monitored with third party evaluation, Standing up and saying "I'm green because I say so" doesn't cut it any more. Confusing consumers with yet another label doesn't do any good for anyone. SC Johnson may be proud of cleaning up their company and their material choices, but they are delusional if they think this makes this product green. Shame on them for confusing the public like this. ::Environmental Leader
Ethylene glycol is less of a menace than the sophisticaled antibacterials, etc that you see in many household cleaners, and the longer-degrading chemicals you find in other products.. A number of European wineries years ago were punished for using it ethelyne glycol in excess in their sweet wines, but a very small amount in the past has been acceptably added to certain wines. It is poisionous in quantities, but household cleaners should ALWAYS be locked up anyway, and it is clearly labeled, and Windex does not have the enticing qualities of antifreeze that might lead a pet or child to drink it.
I'm not a scientist but I would say the real source of poison hazard here is the alcohol, and I would be more worried about other products than this one.
They got it right on their website -
"So next time you reach for Windex® glass cleaner, Pledge® furniture polish, Toilet Duck toilet cleaner, or any SC Johnson product, you'll know you're getting not only the performance you trust and expect, but also making an environmentally responsible choice."
They're so right... Next time, I'm going to reach for an alternative product that isn't try to hoodwink me with false green credentials.
Have you ever noticed that liars tend to think they're cleverer than they really are; does the same apply to corporations?
Well, just another reason why we have to be responsible shoppers!
I would think by most peoples standards "green" does not mean that a substance has to be suitable to incorporate into one's diet. We may need to be suspicious of companies making up their own standards for what is environmentally friendly. But certainly we should also be suspicious of environmental sites that use bogus logic such as if you can't eat it, it's not environmentally friendly.
If there is some reason why ethylene glycol is environmentally unfriendly when used to clean a window, please state the reason.
Hmmm...A major cleaning product company trying to hoodwink people without the sense to question what they're using (i.e. the general public) with "green" marketing meant to imply environmental compassion - and NOT the color of money.
Gee, where have I heard this one before?
And RhapsodyinGlue, if you want to latch on to one fragment of this article and NOT its entirety, that's your problem. NOWHERE in this article does it say that SC Johnson knowingly put poison in its products. At least that's their position. Why would they acknowledge this? All this article is saying is that Windex is bloody useless and that you can make a better cleaning product yourself.
Read the first sentence in the last paragraph:
"Green labels mean nothing if they are not independently monitored with third party evaluation." Tell me there's something wrong with that.
We should always be skeptical of "green" labeling, as well as marketing schemes by companies - big and small - trying to gain credibility for "green" products, actions or decisions. This is exactly one of them - thanks for doing research into this label, and keep up the great work!
-GreenOx
www.greenox.blogspot.com
I have to agree with RhapsodyInGlue, just because you cant ingest it doesn't mean that it is not a green product. As far as the harmful effects of ethylene glycol. This website actually tells you how harmful it is to the environment, http://www.npi.gov.au/database/substance-info/profiles/41.html.
Now, that I am not saying that it is right that the manufactures are labeling the products as green when they may not be. This reminds me of the Energy Star, before energy star came around manufactures would say that there products consumed less energy. Since that time, Energy star, which is a "government program to promote energy efficient consumer products" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_star
So i think that we should have another gov't program to say what can be considered green.
J.C. Johnson makes something called Virex 256. Does anyone know if it is environmentally safe?