A new study conducted by the International Institute for Management Development and the Ecole Polytechnique de Lausanne has found that the number and variety of eco labels has reached a kind of “Norman, coordinate!” level. (For those not up on old Star Trek references, all I mean is that eco labels have become too numerous and bewildering to serve as any meaningful guide to consumer behavior.) And the companies themselves are lost in a sea of green vis-à-vis eco labels. Says Environmental Leader:

Germany’s Ministry of the Environment introduced the world’s first eco-label, the Blue Angel, in 1978. Now more than 400 are used across 25 industries in 250 countries. Only a minority of customers, called “dark green” in the report, are especially cognizant of the notion of sustainability. Their “light green” counterparts are unaware or uninterested, while “mid-green” consumers may think sustainability is important but they don’t want to take the time to find out why.

This is not to denigrate the idea of eco labels; as has been pointed out many times in this space, eco labels, like chain of custody certifications, do have value, but in order to be effective they need to be credible and reliable, and too many “off brand” eco labels create unwanted noise and confusion. Basically, when you need a “meta” site to sort through the chaos, it suggests the situation has gotten a little out of hand.