Green marketer beware you're likely to be stretching the truth, according to a recent study by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing. The Six Sins of Greenwashing found that of 1,018 common consumer products ranging from toothpaste to caulking to shampoo to printers, 99% were guilty of greenwashing in some way. In fact, the environmental shortcomings were so prevalent that TerraChoice separated them into six categories.

Here are the Six Sins, so ye may avoid them.

1. Sin of the Hidden Trade-Off: e.g. Energy-efficient electronics that contain hazardous materials. 998 products or 57% of all environmental claims committed this Sin.


2. Sin of No Proof: e.g. Shampoos claiming to be certified organic, but with no verifiable certification. 454 products and 26% of environmental claims committed this Sin.


3. Sin of Vagueness: e.g. Products claiming to be 100% natural when many naturally-occurring substances are hazardous, like arsenic and formaldehyde. Seen in 196 products or 11% of environmental claims.


4. Sin of Irrelevance: e.g. Products claiming to be CFC-free, even though CFCs were banned 20 years ago. This Sin was seen in 78 products and 4% of environmental claims.


5. Sin of Fibbing: e.g. Products falsely claiming to be certified by an internationally recognized environmental standard like EcoLogo, Energy Star or Green Seal. Found in 10 products or less than 1% of environmental claims.


6. Sin of Lesser of Two Evils: e.g. Organic cigarettes or environmentally friendly pesticides, This occurred in 17 products or 1% of environmental claims.