Bamboozled By Eco-friendly Terminology? Here’s What It Really Means
Ever felt baffled and confused by the eco-friendly and environmental terminology you see in advertising and media? With the impacts of climate change having disastrous effects on human, animal and plant life around the world, more and more of us are becoming concerned about what we buy and interested in how we can make a positive difference. Brands across most industries are making all sorts of green claims but sometimes it can feel hard to make sense of the jargon and know for sure what it all really means.
Simplifying the language may help you to understand properly the benefits of a cleaner, greener and more sustainable lifestyle. Belle About Town spoke to Tiffany Kelly, founder of Beyond Bamboo – a global community of sustainable products, services and suppliers working as a collective to restore and rejuvenate the planet.
Here is Tiffany’s glossary of Green Terms to help you navigate green claims and eco buzz words to help make the best choices for you, the well-being of others and the health of our planet.
Accreditation
Accreditation is an independent, third-party evaluation by an assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards. A brand having gained an industry accreditation ensures that due diligence has been done for that particular claim. Be aware that not all accreditation schemes are created equal so make sure the assessment body is widely recognised or else transparent in how it establishes the validity of claims.
Biodegradable/Compostable
Biodegradable materials or products are those that are able to break down to their basic components when given the right conditions and presence of microorganisms, fungi or bacteria. This is great as it keeps the item out of landfill and saves space. Some items are biodegradable/compostable in home composting bins, other require industrial composting silos where very high temperatures are reached. So, check if it is suitable for home composting as you can do this yourself, without the need for additional transport. Once degraded/composted the item leaves nothing harmful behind. (https://www.thebalancesmb.com/what-does-biodegradable-mean-2538213)
Carbon Neutral
Carbon neutrality is a state of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions. This can be achieved by balancing emissions of carbon dioxide with its removal (often through carbon offsetting) or by eliminating emissions completely. Again, this is generally used to describe current carbon dioxide emissions, not historic ones (which also need to be removed).
Carbon offsetting
Offsetting is a way of paying for others to reduce emissions or absorb CO2 to compensate for a company’s own emissions. For example, a business may pay towards tree planting or the delivery of energy-efficient cooking stoves to communities in developing countries. BUT brands should be doing that as well as cutting emissions directly, not just substituting them. Offsetting doesn’t actually cancel out – or ‘offset’ – the emissions to which they are linked. Also, contributing to a project that was going ahead anyway doesn’t help remove extra carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. So offsetting is beset with problems which is why it is falling out of favour.
Carbon Positive
This is a step beyond carbon neutral. Once net zero or carbon neutral status is achieved, a business can start to tackle removing its historic emissions or, for new businesses additional CO2 can be removed to create a wider environmental benefit.
Organic
If we refer to organic within the clothing industry, it means textiles that have been cultivated according to the guidelines of organic farming, whereby no genetically modified seeds, pesticides, or other chemical-yielding aids are used. GOTS (Global Organic Trading Standards) certifies brands that manufacture environmentally from the seed and raw material right through to the finished piece, so even a production factory must be free from non-organic pollutants and the working conditions of the staff include no child forced labour, fair wages and paid overtime.
At the farming stage, Organic farms cannot use synthetic fertilisers, as the principles of organic farming is based on nourishing plants naturally, by building fertile soils. The Soil Association certification is a standards board that ensures the quality of life for farm animals and also the quality of the organic food that we eat.
Net zero
Net zero refers to achieving an equal balance between the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere. This can be done by changing business processes to reduce emissions in the first place–for example by switching to renewable energy or minimising plastic in products or packaging –while also actively removing the remaining greenhouse gases from the atmosphere for example, by contributing to projects that conserve natural habitats or plant trees to absorb carbon. You can also subscribe to you have carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere and stored safely underground where it turns to stone. It tends to refer to current emissions, not historic ones.
Plant Based
The word ‘plant-based’ has been thrown around A LOT in recent times. This move away from meat is fantastic news for the environment, our health and for animals. Big companies are now seeing the marketing value of the word ‘plant-based’, realising that people are more educated than ever about the environmental impact of food and the health benefits of eating plant-based foods rather than animal-based ones. Though some people, including food bloggers, may use the terms plant-based and vegan interchangeably, plant-based is an umbrella term and does not always equate to being vegan – so do check the labels and ask if the item really is vegan.
Vegan and Vegan Friendly
If something is vegan it does not contain any animal ingredients or animal-derived ingredients. Often brands claim a food item is vegan-friendly if it contains no animal ingredients but was made in a factory where other non-vegan items are made. The terminology is used to indicate that they cannot guarantee there is absolutely no cross contamination (but, on balance, the product can be considered vegan). Vegan should also mean that no animals or animal products were used in any part of the product’s creation.
Animal exploitation for food and products is directly related to biodiversity and wildlife loss, either through the loss of habitat, the slaughter and starving of wild animals, overfishing and/or the pollution of ecosystems.
Sustainable
This word is really thrown around a lot these days, but its real meaning is seldom well understood. Simply put, sustainable products and practices are those that do not jeopardise the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It has become too broad a term with such little accountability that it can hardly be taken at face value. Brands that are operating “more sustainably” should always explain specifically how they are doing so.
Zero Waste
Zero waste is a set of principles focused on waste prevention that encourages the redesign of resource life cycles so that all products are reused. The goal is for no trash to be sent to landfills, incinerators or the ocean.
