How can you make truly green purchases? (It’s not always what you think)

In a context in which more and more companies declare themselves eco-sustainable, Lisa’s new book
Casali The Green Consumer Dilemma it is more useful and timely than ever. It is indeed a guide
aimed at consumers who want to do low-impact purchasing choices
environmental and who, page after page, will be able to understand how to juggle the various offers
of products and services, choosing and recognizing those that are truly ecological.
In this book the author addresses the issue of environmental protection both from the side of
consumer, who can exercise it daily with his purchasing choices, both from the side
of companies and institutions, which can operate taking seriously the
environmental aspects.

Lisa, what do you think are currently the biggest difficulties facing a consumer when it comes to green purchases?
«The greatest difficulties for the consumer are often due to distinguishing the initiatives that represent a real and concrete commitment for the protection of natural resources from those that are more of a facade. Then you have to learn to give the right weight to the different information you receive. For example, imagine having to buy a household cleaner and compare two products, one product has a recycled plastic packaging, the other instead comes from a company with EMAS certification / registration. Are these two products sustainable in the same way? Absolutely not, when the commitment to reduce the environmental impact
for example, it concerns the whole company and all its production processes, as in the case of EMAS it is certainly a priority aspect and a greater commitment than those who instead implement only ecological packaging for their own product, but do nothing for improve environmental performance “.

The greenwashing trap is always present: can you tell us which of these tips are the most important to always keep in mind when shopping?
«The environment of green and sustainability is unfortunately full of false myths that condition them
our purchasing choices. Here are three exemplary cases: “The cotton bag is the greenest” because we perceive cotton as an ecological material, while plastic is the absolute evil. For example, if we are in the supermarket and do not have a bag with us to take home the shopping, often, convinced of making the greener choice, we turn to cotton bags. Such as
instead, a study conducted by Altroconsumo showed, the cotton bag is by far the one with the greatest environmental impact, it must be reused 239 times to compensate for the impact of a compostable bag. The polyester bag or the polypropylene bag on the other hand, even if perceived as “pollutants”, have a much lower impact. Then another example and the one about
biodegradable dishes that would be the most ecological choice outside the home: the ban on
Disposable plastic has seen the flourishing of biodegradable alternatives that certainly cause fewer problems than plastic if dispersed into the environment. However, they are not to be considered zero impact alternatives and could in any case create problems of water and soil pollution and damage to species and habitats if not disposed of correctly. It must also be considered that although biodegradable, they are nonetheless disposable products, not washable and non-reusable and therefore with a high intrinsic environmental impact precisely by virtue of an extremely short time of use that does not allow to amortize the production impacts. through numerous uses, as happens with reusable products such as a ceramic plate, a glass cup, a metal cutlery. Then there is another belief that should be re-discussed: are online purchases more sustainable than in-store purchases? While it is true that shopping online is
optimize the emissions associated with the transport of goods. However, if on the other side of the scale we add that all the products purchased online arrive with cardboard and / or plastic packaging that entail emissions and impacts for their production and disposal, while in-store purchases are mostly bulk or in any case with reduced packaging. In addition, with online purchases, the return rate is significantly higher than with in-store purchases. When we make a return we often do not think about the fact that that product will most likely be disposed of as waste, even if intact or with only a small defect. Buying online is extremely convenient and fast and this could lead us to buy products that we don’t really need and that we might never buy in person “.

Environmental certifications can help consumers more easily recognize the product to choose. In the book you have selected 50 of the most important. Among these, which are the six most common to find on Italian shelves and therefore more easily accessible to consumers?
«The environmental certifications of the product or in any case of the supply chain, indispensable for me to know
notice are: “Organic Agriculture”, for foods produced with attention to a reduced use of
crop protection products and the protection of the natural fertility of the earth; “Cosmos Organic”, for cosmetics made with organic ingredients; «Fairmined Eco Gold», for gold mined with attention to protecting the environment and avoiding contamination of soil, water, the destruction of habitats and species and damage to the health of workers. Then of course the FSC and PEFC for sustainable paper and wood, GOTS for fabrics made with at least 70% natural fibers from organic farming and finally “Ecolabel” for detergents, textiles and other products with particular attention to reduction the environmental impact of the product “.

And what is the new “Ambiente Protetto” environmental certification aimed at
theme of the prevention of damage to the environment and why did you think it was necessary to establish it?
“In our country there is a real regulatory vacuum on damage prevention
to the environment. The paradox is that we are instead one of the countries with the most severe legislation
when the event has already occurred. The legislator thinks that a punitive rule is sufficient
very severe to have a deterrent effect on the potential polluter but unfortunately things
they are not like that. The reality is that most businesses, even the busiest ones
in green and sustainability it underestimates its environmental risks and becomes aware of
your own risks when it is too late. I am convinced that for an environmental policy to be
complete and without “holes” it is important that, in addition to the commitment to improving the
environmental performance that the company also undertakes on two other fronts: do everything possible to effectively prevent damage to the environment (e.g. spills, ruptures of tanks, fires, blockage to the purifier or chimney filters) and equip themselves with tools for the repair of damage to the environment, should a damage event occur. This means, for example, having a dedicated policy for damage to the environment. The new UNI PdR 107: 2021 “Protected Environment” certification was created with this in mind, providing the company with a concrete tool to strengthen these two points. This is a certification aimed at the entire company and not at the products, it can be applied by companies of any sector and size and is complementary to other environmental certifications such as ISO14001 or EMAS. The text of the practice can be downloaded free of charge from the UNI (Italian standardization body) website. I particularly care about this certification because I personally supervised its conception and birth ».

To make the message of the importance of effective environmental protection even better understood, both by consumers and by companies and institutions, in the book you have used the clear and symbolic image of what you have called the tree of environmental sustainability. Can you briefly describe it here too?
«The idea is that, in order for the commitment to protect the environment to be concrete and effective, a policy
environmental should be like a tree with roots that root it well in the ground and that are represented by the commitment to effective prevention of damage to the environment. Then we also need a trunk that allows the tree to grow and that makes it strong and sturdy that represents the company’s commitment to repair in case of damage, another aspect not taken for granted. Then the branches and leaves that represent that set of initiatives aimed at improving the environmental performance of the company such as the reduction of waste, water consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, the circular economy. Finally, the fruits represent the company’s products and services and the commitment to reduce the environmental impact as much as possible. On the other hand, a company that, for example, is like a tree without trunk and roots only in fruit or branches is therefore very fragile and risks falling ruinously at the first gust of wind. For this reason it is important that attention to the prevention of damage and its repair becomes an integral part in the environmental policies of companies but it is equally important that consumers learn to value the most virtuous companies on this front, recognize and reward them.

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