"The Marketers" are causing Nick Blosser considerable distress. He's turning to escapist TV and "green bull-- blogs" in his search for truth in advertising.

Nick includes some interesting stats from a study by the Natural Marketing Institute. Interesting, yet disconcerting for The Marketers. The study says that 70 percent of us agree that "when companies call a product 'green' (meaning better for the environment), it is usually just a marketing tactic."

In other words, green claims that are not credible are destroying the market value of actually doing the right thing. Companies might not do the right thing if they can't get a decent return on their investment. Meanwhile, we can't tell what color is under that thick, new coat of green marketing.

Will the FTC step in, or will Wal-Mart stop them?

My take: Greenwashing works due to a simple psychological principle: All consumers perceive themselves as being environmentally responsible. Ad agencies work for their clients, not for consumers. They can set aside their ethics and exploit the fact that many consumers want their buying decisions to reflect that green self-image to others.

False green claims will continue. The FTC might revise Part 260, but the enforcement burden will be enormous. The secret to successfully promoting greenness is to avoid the appearance of greenwashing. The plain truth goes a long way.

Nick's advice:

"If you work at a company that's making a significant effort, you should get involved in the FTC process and make sure your voice is heard alongside the Consumers Union. This is the best chance you may have in a while to make green claims meaningful and to enable companies with truly differentiated green products to keep their rapidly eroding advantages, while at the same time being true to meeting the consumers' intent in purchasing green products."

Read Nick's op-ed, "Seeing through the Greenwashing Whiteout," in the August 2008 Sustainable Industries Journal.