Why green Consumerism is needed? 1.

Enlarging of man-made environment and the deteriorating of environment human rethink and become more concerned about the value of health recognize the importance of environmental protection to the sustainability of human researches on Environmental Health urge human to concern that the consequence of pollution would make all members in the society suffer 2. As a citizen of the earth, we need to Think Globally, Act Locally change our personal behavior and take action to improve our surrounding environment on the ways that we are consuming Through consumption behaviour, we could urge producers and the government to alter the process of production and the framework of operation One of the objectives of Green Consumerism is to alter the operational model in the current economy. 4. The Green Products that are now produced and promoted following the conventional system of production and promotion making huge amount of wastes and severe pollution Examples include heavy packaging, as well as energy wastes in transportation 3. To prevent damaging of the environment, we do not need to stop consumption, but depends

How to implement 1. Principle of consumerism Reduction in Packaging/Plastic Bags Choose products with bulk/economic pack Choose products with minimal packaging Bring Your Own Bag (BYOB) or reuse plastic bags

2. Green Label 3. The need to research on the establishment of an environment-protection labeling act: no commodity regulation in Hong Kong requiring the environment-friendliness information to be printed on merchandise no clear or standardized definition on the concept of environmental-friendliness not easy to examine and endorse green products with claims on their friendliness to the environment safeguard local consumers, and foreign markets in the future consumers knowledge on Green Products is limited there is no policy to justify the reality of environmental product around the world

4. Commonenvironmentally-friendlywordings: Recycled Ozone Friendly Environmentally-Friendly Biodegradable No Animal Test

Six Sins of greenwashing 1. Hidden tradeoffs The most common form of greenwashing accounts for 57 percent of cases. It occurs when a company makes a positive environmental claim about a product, but fails to mention larger negative factors. The bad outweighs the promoted good, leaving the consumer with an unbalanced view of the environmental impact. Example: Many companies make claims about recycled paper content but don't account for paper production's negative effects like air and water pollution. 2. Lack of proofAccounting for about 26 percent of cases, this type of greenwashing happens when a company makes environmental claims that can't be easily verified with data or through a third party. Example: Critics have lashed out at companies such as SC Johnson for self-verifying environmental claims. The company gives products like Windex "Greenlist" certification -- a distinction handed out by SC Johnson itself rather than an independent third party [source: Treehugger]. Environmentallycharged consumers are also pouring more money than ever into carbon offsets -- $54 million in 2007 [source:Adweek]. However, academics and members of the United States Federal Trade Commission question the effectiveness of some carbon offset programs and call for stricter regulations. 3. Vague claims This type of greenwashing accounts for 11 percent of examined cases and occurs when companies make environmental claims that are too vague or broad to be understood by consumers. Example: Boeing UK was bombarded with complaints in 2007 for a print advertisement claiming its 747-8 International passenger plane produced "less than 75 grams CO2 per passenger kilometer." Britain's Advertising Standards Authority faulted Boeing UK for basing its figures on 100 percent occupancy when the British government uses a standard 79.9 percent occupancy in calculating airliners' CO2 emissions [source: Guardian]. 4. Irrelevant claims Coming in at a narrower four percent of examined cases, this type of greenwashing occurs when companies make claims that might sound good on the surface but are ultimately pointless. Example: Advertisements will sometimes claim that a product is free of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), an ozone-depleting chemical compound once found in refrigerants and propellants. Because CFCs have been banned for years, this once noteworthy claim no longer has relevancy. 5. The lesser of two evils Accounting for an estimated one percent of cases, this type of greenwashing involves claims that are not only irrelevant but have questionable ecological significance to begin with. Example: Organic cigarettes and environmentally friendly pesticides are often marketed as being better for the environment than traditional products. However, critics charge that consumers are usually better off reducing the use of the advertised product than purchasing a green version. 6. Outright lies This category, accounting for less than one percent of reported cases, involves companies that make false claims about a product or falsely cite green certifications. Example: Several major Japanese paper companies, including the nation's largest paper manufacturer, Oji Paper Company, admitted to falsifying the amount of recycled paper used in their products. Oji claimed it used 40 percent recycled content in heavy paper but used no recycled content at all [source: Yomiuri Shimbun].