Kenyans have been urged to embrace more of green products, in the ongoing Consumer International Global Congress, in Nairobi.
According to Erin Turner, the CEO Consumer Policy Research Centre (Australia), the people must also ensure such products are genuine.
"What we want to see is more people behind genuine green products. Not things that look green but don't deliver on green values," she said.
Speaking after participating in a panel discussion on green clients, Erin cautioned that many companies claim to sell sustainable products, but give little to no information on their effects on the environment.
She said this makes it harder for consumers to make informed choices on what kinds of products they consume.
"There are a lot of companies in the marketplace that might say they are giving you a green option, an eco or sustainable option but they don't necessarily give you details about what they are doing. Are they good for the environment? It makes it hard for you as an individual to make a good sustainable choice," Erin said.
She added that at the panel, they discussed the various ways such practices can be stopped including by the use of the existing and new laws.
"At times it may feel expensive to be green as a consumer but there are ways you can repair products, make them last longer, save money and do right by the environment.
These are the kind of solutions we were exploring today in a great discussion, useful for everyone including the government of Kenya and other governments across the world," the Consumer Policy Research Centre CEO added.
On her part, Policy Manager with Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, Karen Bett, said she got to understand the challenges consumers face in terms of deciding the products that are best for consumption.
She said that from the discussion, they got a balance from all critical players in the consumer protection sectors.
"There is a role for government as a regulator but there is also a bigger role that consumers can play in setting standards because you cannot develop standards without the voice of consumers.
"There is also a big role for advocacy and keeping government in check," Bett said.
The Consumer International Global Congress began on Wednesday and will end on Friday. This is the second time it has been held in Africa.
