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What can you trust?

The trip to the local supermarket has become an ethical minefield. The threat lurks everywhere. What can you trust?

Is the Medister sausage in the refrigerated display case as climate-friendly as it claims to be? Is it true that reforestation in Africa mitigates the burping of dairy cows in Jutland?

A number of studies show that Danish consumers have lost trust in companies' green communication. Half of those surveyed in a questionnaire survey by the advertising agency Dentsu said that they are skeptical of companies' green initiatives due to pending cases of greenwashing.

In February, Orkla's sustainability barometer showed that 70% of consumers find it difficult to assess the sustainability of products.

Complaints are coming in at an increasing rate at the Consumer Ombudsman. In 2020, 48 consumers complained about examples of greenwashing – a doubling compared to 2019. And in January 2021 alone, the watchdog was able to state that it had received 15 complaints from climate-confused consumers.

Many complaints are about climate compensation. That is, compensating for CO2 emissions from production by buying climate credits elsewhere in the world. A widespread tool for companies that want to strengthen green marketing. The problem is that the arguments are so technical that consumers are left confused at the refrigerated counter.

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