Carbon footprint? Green washing? No, it’s not a foreign language. These are commonly used terms in the world of environmentalism. We’ve made it easy to help you understand what being eco-conscious is all about by highlighting some key phrases.

 

Biodegradable

Materials that are easily decomposed when left exposed to nature and do not cause harmful effects to the environment.

 

Carbon footprint
The amount of carbon that a product, service, event or person emits over a given time frame. The higher the carbon footprint, the bigger the impact on global warming.

Carbon credits
Received for supporting carbon emission-reduction projects that are used to mitigate the carbon emissions generated by an individual or organization.

 

Greenhouse gas
Corporate social responsible is also often referred to as corporate responsibility, corporate citizenship, sustainable business, social responsibility, people/planet/profit, triple bottom line, and responsible business, to name a few. Regardless of the terminology used, this practice refers to a company’s recognition of their responsibility for the impact of their actions on the environment, the community, and other stakeholders.
 
Greenhouse gas
Any gas that absorbs infrared radiation in the atmosphere and contributes to global warming. Some greenhouse gases (like carbon dioxide) occur naturally, while others (methane, nitrous oxide) are caused by human activity.

 

Greenwashing
Greenwashing is the practice of some companies to mislead their customers or be dishonest about their environmental practices in order to increase sales or better position themselves in the market.

Post-consumer recycled content
Material in a finished product that is composed partially or wholly from recycled material. Paper used by an office and then recycled is considered a post-consumer material.
 
Pre-consumer recycled content
Refers to wastes from a manufacturing process that have been collected, processed and recycled into new materials or products before ever going to a market.

Recyclable
A product that can be used again in manufacturing new products.
 
Recycled content
The amount of pre and post-consumer recycled content used in a material (usually shown as a percentage). The recycled “chasing arrow” icon is used to show that a product or package is made from recycled content.
  
Sustainability
A commitment to sustainability means explicitly taking into account the environmental and social impacts of business operations and taking action to eliminate the negative impacts.

Sustainably harvested: Harvesting of a renewable resource that allows regeneration and ongoing supply.