Seth Godin says that there will be a coming backlash over green marketing. He references a marketing campaign that says Tumi will plant trees if you buy a specific line of luggage. Also relevant is this story about “green” Barbie: The Ultimate Greenwashing: Barbie Goes Green.
The fact that it’s so hard to quantify a product’s carbon footprint is the root cause of this marketing problem. (It’s the classic measurement issue that we see recurring in the social sector). For now, we have, from the FTC: Part 260 — GUIDES FOR THE USE OF ENVIRONMENTAL MARKETING CLAIMS.
And if you’re a marketer that really cares about being green, Seth says you “should be scrambling right now to find a number or an organization that can defend the green brand. If not, it’s going to be worthless and a great opportunity for improvement is going to be lost.”
Sorry, but you’ll have to read his post to understand what he’s saying.