Proctor & Gamble (P&G) announced
plans to sell $20 billion worth of
eco-friendly products by 2013.

   An example in their “environmentally friendly” lineup is Tide Coldwater. Tide Coldwater is concentrated, which reduces packaging materials. It is also made for coldwater washing, which of course reduces energy consumption.
   Not surprisingly, P&G’s announcement that they are selling “eco-friendly products” was controversial to environmentalists who want to know when P&G plans to make its products without chemicals that are hazardous to humans and the environment.
   While P&G is doing a decent job of helping to reduce greenhouse gasses, many of its products, from detergents to personal-care items, are made with dangerous chemicals. Oil of Olay Complete Body Wash, for instance, has comparatively high levels of 1,4-dioxane, a petrochemical that is a known carcinogen in animals and a serious groundwater contaminant. It has been banned from personal-care products in the European Union.
   Can we say green-washing?