Message in a Water Bottle

This column originally appeared in the April, 2012 issue of Funeral Home and Cemetery News by Nomis Publications, Inc.

Message in a Water Bottle

Carbon offset claims under scrutiny

Last month we discussed the growing practice of greenwashing and the FTC crackdown on retailers for making unsubstantiated or misleading claims about how their products benefit the environment.  Thank you to those of you who wrote with questions about the FTC Green Guides and how to avoid claims that could be subject to FTC action or legal recourse.  Several readers commented on "biodegradability" claims on caskets and asked for more examples of misleading claims that we can learn from.

Some concerned readers asked if we should avoid "green" claims altogether.  We need not avoid making claims about products and practices that benefit the environment as long as they are true.  Given the growing concern for the environment among Americans it is a good idea for any business to find ways to be more environmentally conscious.  The issue with greenwashing is not that "green" claims should be avoided, but rather that any such claims should be clear and substantiated.  It's a matter of being both helpful and honest--two things professionals in the funeral service industry are generally very good at being.

One green topic that's becoming part of American vernacular is carbon counting.  Marketers use many terms including carbon offsets, carbon neutral, carbon negative, and carbon footprint in claims about benefits to the environment.  These carbon-related terms illustrate the scientific concept that all activity on the planet can be classified as either releasing carbon or sequestering carbon.  We can explain carbon sequestering with high school chemistry.  As a tree grows it uses energy from the sun to change carbon dioxide from the earth's atmosphere into wood.  Wood is an organic compound that contains carbon.  Conversely, photosynthesis stops when a tree dies.  The wood in the tree decomposes (or is burned for fuel) releasing carbon back into the earth's atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide.  A living tree sequesters carbon.  When we turn a tree into furniture or flooring, the tree does not decompose thus it continues to sequester carbon.  There is much science in the relationship between the amount of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere and climate change--too much science to explore here today.

Carbon offsets occur when the carbon releasing activities used to make a product are matched with carbon sequestering activities, thus offsetting the effect.  Variations include claims to be carbon neutral or carbon negative.  These claims suggest there is as much, or more, carbon sequestered as released so the net impact of the product is neutral or negative.  These claims are difficult to substantiate due to the wide range of methods used to measure carbon impact and varied opinions among the scientific community as to the validity of these different methods.  Without scientific evidence these claims could be in violation of the proposed Green Guides.  The evidence to substantiate a claim that a product is carbon neutral requires extensive cradle-to-grave analysis of every component of that product and every step involved in the manufacture, transport, and storage of that component.  No product can be carbon neutral, or negative, without carbon offset activities that sequester carbon.  The most common carbon offset activity is planting trees, but it's difficult to substantiate exactly how much carbon is offset.  The carbon sequestered by a tree varies by species, climate, soil type, and the life expectancy of the tree.  

Consider the scrutiny experienced by Fiji Water Company since it began marketing its bottled water with green messaging in 2007.  The company's "carbon negative" campaign is the target of a class action lawsuit filed in January 2011 alleging the claim amounts to false and misleading advertising.  Fiji's claim to produce "the worlds' only carbon negative bottled water" is printed on the product label.  The largest component in the company's initiative to green its image is derived from the purchase of carbon offsets.  At the center of the lawsuit is the fact that the purchased offsets are future impact--extending the "negative 20 percent" carbon impact out to 2037.  But consumers of the product don't see that on the bottle--the label suggests that each bottle of water is carbon negative at the time it's produced.

Consider a very different claim made by Ozarka that boasts "Doing More With Less" on its bottled water.  The label reads:

"Did you notice this bottle has an Eco-Slim cap? This enabled us to reduce the amount of plastic!  Now this bottle and cap contain an average of 40% less plastic--making it the lightest 500 mL bottle we've ever produced.  Be Green."  

Ozarka's claim specifically identifies the product component and substantiates the claim with a measure that is neither misleading nor deceptive.  The message concludes with the simple directive to "Be Green" avoiding altogether use of words suggesting the carbon impact, biodegradability, or toxicity of the product.  The consumer must conclude that "less plastic" is a good idea.

At the Northwoods Casket Company we avoid direct claims of carbon neutrality, or carbon negativity, and simply state that we plant 100 trees for every casket we build.  We let the families who support us recognize that planting 100 trees is a good idea for the environment.  As for being truthful, we maintain documentation and testimony to substantiate our tree planting initiatives.  While planting 100 trees for every casket we produce just might make our casket the greenest on the planet, we won't make such a claim until we have the scientific evidence to substantiate it.

Greenwashing in Funeral Service

This column originally appeared in the March, 2012 issue of Funeral Home and Cemetery News by Nomis Publications, Inc.

We can each help families steer clear of deceptive marketing in the death care industry.
 

“Greenwashing” is the marketing practice of making unsubstantiated or misleading claims about the environmental benefits of a product.  Because consumers increasingly seek green products – and are willing to pay more for them – it’s not surprising that instances of greenwashing are on the rise.  We in the death care industry can help educate and protect families from such claims by asking a few important questions. 

Consumers want to be good to the environment.  Consumers in today's global market are willing to pay a 5 percent premium for green products.  According to a Forbes public opinion poll last November, 83 percent of Americans expect companies to improve the environment as part of their business model.  Sixty-five percent of consumers said they would switch brands upon learning a company they patronize causes harm to the environment. All this represents a great trend, trusting the claims these companies make are true. But unfortunately for consumers, this isn’t always the case. Misleading claims about environmental benefits have begun attracting the attention the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and have become the subject of class action lawsuits.

Crackdown on Greenwashing

The FTC is cracking down on greenwashing.  Specifically, in June, 2009 the FTC ended almost a decade of silence on the topic when it charged three retailers for making deceptive and unsubstantiated biodegradability claims on paper products.  Kmart and Tender Corp immediately agreed to stop making such claims.  The third retailer, Dyna-E, came to a settlement agreement after three months in administrative litigation. In August 2009, the FTC announced another four enforcement actions against manufacturers for making unsubstantiated general claims to manufacture products in an "environmentally friendly process."  Through these actions, the FTC has made it clear that unsubstantiated claims will not be tolerated.

FTC Green Guides get an Update

Green marketing claims must be specific and transparent.  In the death care industry we’re familiar with the 1982 FTC publication the Funeral Rule (Funeral Industry Practices:16 CFR Part 453) and with its Funerals, A Consumer Guide, published in 2000. But did you know the FTC first published Green Guides in 1992 to ensure environmental claims made by businesses were true and substantiated?  We can expect an official update to the Green Guides sometime in 2012.  The main theme of the proposed updates is that unqualified general claims for environmental benefit are not allowed.  Claims must be specific and transparent.  For example, claims about renewable materials must be specific as to how that material is sourced and why it is renewable.  Other proposed updates clarify the use of vocabulary such as carbon offset, recyclable, compostable, degradable, ozone safe/friendly, and free-of/non-toxic when making claims. Generally, each of these claims must be specific and qualified with evidence.

Green Marketing in Death Care

How might the proposed Green Guides affect the death care industry?  With growing interest in Green Funerals and Natural Burials in America, marketers in death care are making claims for the environmental benefit of products and services including caskets, embalming products, concrete vaults, funeral coaches, stationary, flowers, and keepsakes. Crematoriums and cremation urn retailers have also made claims that their businesses or products benefit the environment.  The best thing we can do as funeral service providers to protect our families from such deceptive or misleading claims is to ask questions.  If a manufacturer claims to make a product in a way that benefits the environment, we should ask how.  The marketer is responsible for transparently substantiating such claims.  If we are confused, no doubt our families will be too, or worse, misled or deceived.  As more families ask for green alternatives in death care, it is in our genuine interest to better serve the families who trust us by being informed ourselves.

Claims for Biodegradable Products

Beware of biodegradable and degradable claims on caskets!  The FTC has specific language regarding the use of claims that products are degradable or biodegradable.  In order to use this claim, the product must "completely decompose in no more than one year after customary disposal."  While most natural burial shrouds and green caskets are made from materials that will decompose easily, it is unlikely that these products will "completely decompose in no more than one year after customary disposal." The trouble is that some states require burial of at least 18 inches, and in most climates this depth is below the presence of microbial bacteria that accelerate decomposition.  If customary disposal is interpreted as burial in a conventional cemetery that requires a burial vault, decomposition is slowed even more.  While it seems natural to tout green caskets as degradable, under the FTC’s definition this is hard to achieve and such a claim should be considered carefully.  As funeral service providers, we should ask questions of retailers who make this claim.

If you have questions pertaining to anything to do with green burial that might be good topics for this regular column, please send your suggestions to jonas.zahn@northwoodscasket.com.  If you have a story about a green funeral or something you're doing in your business to conserve resources or help the environment, please write me as I continue to compile a list of ways to "green the funeral industry" to share with you.

It's not easy being green, or is it?

Jonas Zahn

This column originally appeared in the February, 2012 issue of Funeral Home and Cemetery News by Nomis Publications, Inc.

No doubt there is growing concern among American consumers for the health and preservation of the environment and its precious natural resources.  "What is a carbon footprint?" was one of the top ten green topic searches on Google in 2011.  Responding to consumer interest, industry leaders in automobile manufacturing and alternative energy are finding new ways to "green" their business.  Today's consumer is overwhelmed with campaigns for green products and services from home furnishings, to clothing and apparel, to groceries and even freight services.

The death care industry is no exception.  Being green in the death care industry tends to focus primarily on the choice of a cemetery and the selection of a casket or alternative burial container.  But is there more our industry should consider when working with families who care about environmental impact?  If consumer behavior across the pond is any indication, I would say the answer is yes.

In general, the United Kingdom has led the United States by 10 to 15 years with consumer trends in environmental conservation and sustainable practices.  The trend on green burial is no exception.  With some of the first sites opening more than two decades ago, today there are more than 200 green cemeteries--also referred to as natural burial sites or conservation cemeteries--in the United Kingdom.  By comparison there are around 40 green cemeteries in the United States, but more have opened each year since the first was established in Ramsey Creek, South Carolina in 1998.  Perhaps even more noteworthy are the hundreds of traditional cemeteries offering green alternatives to environmentally conscious families in response to interest in green burial.

As with green burial, the UK also leads the US in the adoption of cremation as an alternative to burial.  In the decades since 1960, the uptake of cremation in the UK grew from roughly 30% to just over 70% today.  This compares to US adoption growing from less than 25% in 1960 to a 40% today--about half the rate of UK today.  The National Funeral Directors Association forecasts a cremation rate nearing 60% by 2025.  Interestingly, the Green Burial Council has found that 80% of those who consider a green burial were originally planning a cremation.  Could green burial as an alternative to cremation slow this trend as the aging Baby Boomer generation considers the environmental impact of cremation as it compares to green burial?  Are Boomers and GenXers steering a new trend in death care by considering environmental impact alongside religion, family, and budget in their end-of-life choices?  

There is so much we can do in the death care industry to "green our business" whether we are responding to consumer demand or just want to reduce our carbon footprint.  Either way, being green is good business.  Being green need not be difficult or cost prohibitive.  In fact, some changes can improve employee morale and save money--and that certainly is good business.

In this recurring column I will offer resources to help you answer questions about green practices and separate fact from fiction when it comes to green claims in our industry.  I’ll also keep you up to date on relevant legislation, answer your questions, and share your best practices.  If you have questions, suggestions of good topics for this column, or your own success stories to share, please send them to jonas.zahn@northwoodscasket.com. 

Biography

Jonas A. Zahn is the president and founder of Northwoods Casket Co., a manufacturer of environmentally friendly caskets made in Wisconsin.  He has been involved in casket-making since building a casket for his Grandfather in 2004 and now distributes sustainable caskets to funeral homes throughout the United States.  Recently invited by the Green Burial Council, Jonas serves as an advisor to the committee on defining the standards for green burial containers. Jonas has a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Jonas can be reached by email at jonas.zahn@NorthwoodsCasket.com.  Visit Northwoods Casket online at www.NorthwoodsCasket.com.