So, do you have a nifty eco-friendly product that you want to promote? Your first step is creating a detailed product description that covers everything your audience wants and needs to know about. Ethical consumers are heavily invested in thoroughly researching the products they want before purchase. If your e-commerce site cannot explain clearly everything there is to know about the product; then your competitors may steal that sale. Here’s my take on how to write descriptions for eco-friendly products.
Writing product descriptions for green and eco-friendly products
For more general information on writing product descriptions, check out the article here. The below info is a deep dive on providing the most information for green and eco goods.
Provide valuable information about green aspects
The more detail, the better when it comes to product descriptions. Not only should you describe all the attributes and specifications of your product, but for green goods, you must provide a thorough breakdown of their green aspects. A standard product usually has a short and long product description, specification information and possible additional slots for benefit, who the product is for and how to get the most out of it. With an eco-friendly product, you should use each of these sections to expand on the green aspects of the product. But, you can also add additional areas such as environmental impact, eco credentials and environmental benefits. By understanding what your target audience values most, you can add the information they need to make an informed choice.
Don’t greenwash
Hopefully it goes without saying, that you should never greenwash in your product descriptions. Do not present your products in a greener light than they are. Greenwashing in products could range from:
- A flat-out lie
- Using green jargon to promote the product, like calling something natural, non-toxic or green, without backing up any of these statements.
- Greenwashing by telling the truth. It seems an oxymoron but using jargon to promote something obvious. For example, I have always loved (in a very sarcastic way) when I saw an apple marketed as ‘vegan’; they are not wrong but did it really have to be said?
Include disposal information
I feel retailers fail at providing quality information on disposing of products or packaging when they come to the end of their life. I often see packaging that says widely recycled even though I know that in its current state, there is no way It could be. For example, It says widely recycled on the Dorito Stax tube of crisps ( a pringles rip-off). The tub is made of cardboard, but the inside is lined with a shiny, non-porous gold foil-type material. I can guarantee that I cannot put that in my cardboard recycling at home, so this little symbol to me is a pointless icon. It’s not just about telling you whether or not you can recycle a package but where it can be. Providing a website to find this information is the least manufacturers can do. So, when writing your eco-friendly product descriptions, include how you can reuse, upcycle or recycle the product if it can no longer be used for its intended purpose.
Link to other green practices
If your company has organisation-wide initiatives, ensure your product descriptions include this information or link to more appropriate pages. Buying eco-friendly products is not just about the actual good purchased but the whole company’s impact. For example, buying a reusable steel straw you’ll use forever instead of 1000 plastic straws may seem like the most sustainable option. Still, if you buy that steel straw from a company like Amazon, who has a devastating impact on the environment as a whole, it’s not going to be beneficial to the planet. So take the time to talk about what you are working on in your company as a whole to up your green credentials, not just focusing on the individual product.
Solve their problems
One other way that your product descriptions can champion green causes and be helpful to consumers is to address any problems or concerns they have. Of course, including as much information on your products as possible is the first step. But adding a FAQ section can be the most efficient way to do this. A product page with a dedicated and unique FAQ section provides valuable info to users. However, it also showcases to search engines a key factor in their rankings. All search queries are essentially questions. Search engine users are looking for answers, and your product could provide the solution. So, by including all the ways your product solves a particular issue or set of problems, you demonstrate you have the answers.
Eco-friendly copywriting from Middleton Marketing
Do you need copywriting for your eco-friendly products? I’d love to help your company grow with ethical copywriting that sells to your niche without compromising your company’s ethos. As a dedicated, ethical marketer with a passion for environmental justice, I guarantee research-driven, accessible copy that is far removed from the greenwashing of big corporations. So get in touch to see how we can grow your ethical business or non-profit organisation today.