1. Sun Chips “100% Compostable Chip Bag”

I love Sun Chips, especially the Harvest Cheddar flavor, and I’m delighted that they’ve spent the time and money to develop a bag for their chips that’s 100% compostable. It works, too - I’ve put one in my compost bin and watched as it slowly disintegrated after about 3 months. This claim is a little ridiculous, though, since most chip bags end up in a plastic garbage bag, where they can’t decompose.

2. Ice Mountain “Less Cap = Less Plastic”

Really? This is so entirely ridiculous, considering how many millions of plastic water bottles (literally) end up in landfills each year. Who cares about a smaller bottle cap compared to that?

3. American Spirit “Natural Cigarettes”

I’m absolutely not disputing that these cigarettes are indeed “natural,” but again, in the face of what the product actually DOES, the harm it causes, who cares whether or not it’s natural? Please.

4. Barbasol Shave Cream with “No CFCs”

Again, I’m not disputing Barbasol’s claim that their shaving creams are free of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). It’s just an irrelevant claim, since CFCs, which were major contributors to ozone depletion, have been banned for more than 30 years. Duh.

5. Scott Naturals Napkins with “80% Recycled Fiber”

I’m not even sure that this claim means. Recycled fiber? Does that mean paper? And if it does mean “paper,” what difference does that make, since the product is still a paper napkin that people who are eco-conscious shouldn’t be buying anyway? What the heck do they mean, “Green done right?”

6. Oreo Cookies “Made with Organic Flour and Sugar”

This is probably my favorite strange eco-friendly product claim. Okay, so the flour and sugar are both organic, but what about the other ingredients, of which there are many most humans can’t pronounce, or recognize as food? And, though some might believe these would be a healthier food choice than regular Oreo cookies, that’s not the case at all - they’re still terribly fattening.

7. Jade and Pearl Sea Sponge Tampons

These are sustainably harvested sea sponges that have been designed to be used as tampons, an all-natural alternative to dioxin-riddled conventional tampons. They’re reusable for up to 6 months, and come with a kit to clean and store them. Brilliant, some may say. Eww, I say squeamishly. Double eww.

Those are my very favorite strange eco-friendly product claims, but I’m sure there are so many more out there. Have you spied anything bizarre or just plain dumb? Please share it with me!

Top Photo Credit: laurenlemon