Corporate goes green, just for a second.

Two days ago I heard that Walgreens is now offering a new line of all natural cleaners. Yesterday I headed off to Walgreens. That may be extreme for most, but as someone who makes cleaning products for profit, or at least for passion right now, I want to keep up with the possible competition. So in Walgreens, iPhone in hand, I snap all sorts of pictures of the new Ology line of Walgreens brand cleaners. I also snapped a few of other, new names that looked cute. One had a big, bold pencil drawn sunshine on it. I loved it! So I took a snapped the back for ingredient list. Not that it said much. “INGREDIENTS: Contains anionic and/or nonionic surfactants.” Yes, that was it. I have no idea what that even meant.  A few more pictures and away I went. Back to my home computer to check it all out. 

Let’s just say it right now; I’m happy to report that the Ology brand ingredients looked pretty good, way better than most.  Now the other brand with the totally cute sunshine. Well this is what I found…..

CONSUMERS UNION EVALUATION: How meaningful is the label?

The “includes biodegradable surfactants (anionic and nonionic)” and “includes biodegradable surfactants, enzymes, and brightening agents” claims are somewhat meaningful but in some cases can be misleading. They do not refer to the product as a whole (i.e. there may be non-biodegradable ingredients as well) and they are frequently misleading since many ingredients in soap and detergent products are biodegradable whether labeled as such or not.
http://www.greenerchoices.org/eco-labels/label.cfm?LabelID=293

I have always been a label reader, getting worse the older I get! Many times when I read and ingredients list and there is words I never seen or heard before or none listed at all…..well, that’s usually a good sign for me to steer clear.  

There is one main ingredient both these laundry detergents had in common. Probably one not often thought about. The common denominator is Walgreens. Both are Walgreens owned products. I ALWAYS appreciate when companies “go green” because it helps us all…the bigger picture. But what I DO NOT appreciate is when these companies promote a line of natural cleaners, but still make, distribute and promote traditional petro-chemical products that are harmful to all of us!

Next time you take a second to read a label and it looks acceptable to you, take another second longer than most and ask, “Does this company also promote harmful products?” If they do, then don’t buy from them!! They DO NOT deserve your business! They only way businesses will stop making crap are when the demand dries up. So make your voice be heard through your purchases! They will listen when no one is buying their products.
-angie ringler