I think what they're worried about is sort of like giving a hypothermic person hard alcohol to "warm" them up. It masks the real problem and can result in real harm. If we get caught up in these small victories , which I agree are good, we may lose sight of some of the heavy lifting we need to do to make real change. Many corporations rely on misdirection and topic fatigue to keep from having to do anything of real substance.

I agree with you but I also think the large companies seem to always get away with this and it's the consumers that have to do all the work.

It of course depends on the product. Clothing tends to be individually wrapped for example. Some foods are actually not too bad because they come in a big box or crate. Manufacturing creates a good bit. Some places use way more plastic than they ever used to; look at how silage bales are done these days. There's also the tons of stuff thrown away by stores instead of being discounted or donated; it's of items that are returned just go straight to the bin, never mind seasonal items that are just disposed of.

My point is we keep putting the target on the little things that are more visible, the danger being that this makes the public perception of the progress made inaccurate and is sort of a "green washing" diversion.