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Certifiably Green
By: Jen Alexander McCall
Issue: 2009aug
Suppliers and distributors have options when it comes to backing up their eco-friendly claims.
Suppliers and distributors are hopefully well aware by now of the impending requirement to certify their products as being safe for people, but what about certifying their products and processes as being safe for the environment?
Currently, there’s no promotional products industry standard for classifying and certifying eco-friendly products, but companies do have opportunities to be certified by other organizations’ standards. Certifications are available for everything from product materials to energy consumption and construction processes to fair labor and wages.
John Borg, founder and managing partner of San Francisco, California-based distributor Wishbone Creative Group/Eco Imprints (UPIC: Eco), says a culture of environmental responsibility exists in his surrounding business community, and having a green business certification reflects that. Eco Imprints’ passion for preserving the environment is echoed by its clients, so the distributor purposefully sources products that are produced or customized in environmentally responsible ways.
Borg says before selecting products, he asks suppliers what they need. “A lot of our clients require us to back up our product claims. We try to work with companies whose factories treat employees fairly, for example.”
Guarantees such as Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification are welcome and appreciated by clients who want products that have minimal impact on the environment. “Certified organic is another one we look for,” says Borg.
Some of the most commonly produced products bearing green claims are those made with recycled materials, but Borg says the industry tends to fall short when it comes to ensuring the accuracy of the claim, and there are few, if any, standards for certifying recycled-content items. “I try to look for products with a higher percentage of content,” he says. “I think the industry could do a better job with the language that’s used.”
Borg says he feels some claims border on greenwashing, or making products sound greener than they really are. He says recycled products, for example, should state how much of the item is made from recycled materials, and whether that material is post-consumer waste.
And though today’s recession may keep some suppliers from pursuing or heavily marketing eco-friendly products because they can cost more, research has shown that end users aren’t shying away from buying them.
The 2009 Cone Consumer Environmental Study shows 34 percent of Americans surveyed said they would be more likely to invest in environmentally responsible products in a poor economy, while 44 percent are no more or less likely, and just eight percent said they were less likely to make such a purchase.
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota-based supplier Halls & Co. (UPIC: IDLINE), which manufactures and markets the Goodkind® line of writing instruments that are made from wood waste, doesn’t heavily promote its status as an FSC-certified line, says Eric Johnson, MAS, vice president of sales, nor do distributors ask about it. “In a way, there does not seem to be a broad consensus about what to ask about or what to look for regarding eco-friendly products,” he says.
Halls & Co. does make a point of being environmentally friendly with the waste portion of its product line, Johnson points out. “All waste that leaves the facility is either recycled or sent to an incinerator in downtown Minneapolis for conversion to energy production.”
While interest in eco-friendly promotional products is growing, Johnson believes suppliers are better served waiting until the industry has “one truly accepted (and understood) certification” rather than spending time and effort determining whether their products or processes meet any one of dozens of standards currently offered.
Borg, however, says there are suppliers out there whom he hopes will take steps to churn out greener products, so he can do business with them. “I would totally buy some suppliers’ products if they would make just a small change,” he says.
CERTIFICATIONS
These programs represent a few of the global certification opportunities available to promotional products businesses that tout products or processes that are easy on the planet and its inhabitants.
Carbon Credit Environmental Services (CCES)
CCES helps businesses and individuals evaluate their carbon emissions and determine ways to reduce or offset those emissions. CCES issues green certificates, renewable energy certificates and/or carbon neutral certificates.
Carbon Reduction Label
Given by the Carbon Label Company in conjunction with the U.K.’s Carbon Trust, a government-funded organization, the label represents total greenhouse gas emissions from every stage of the product’s lifecycle, including production, transportation, preparation, use and disposal. For business-to-business products, the measurements are taken up to the product’s arrival at the receiving business.
Chlorine Free Products Association (CFPA)
CFPA is an independent not-for-profit accreditation and standard-setting organization that helps identify environmentally preferable TCF (Totally Chlorine Free) and PCF (Processed Chlorine Free) products. The standards are intended to reduce environmental impacts associated with the use of chlorine and chlorine compounds in manufacturing, water purification, old-growth timber and increased use of recyclable products.
Cradle To Cradle Certification
This certification process was created by Virginia design firm MBDC to help companies design environmentally friendly products, examining materials and manufacturing processes along the way. Two Cradle To Cradle certifications are offered: one for final products and one for product materials.
EarthRight
EarthRight’s graduated certification program offers businesses three levels of certification: Silver, Gold and Green, based on a company’s environmental sustainability practices.
ECOCERT
Europe-based ECOCERT works to promote organic products through its control and certification activities in more than 80 countries. ECOCERT is accredited for National Organic Program (NOP) certification.
EcoLogo
Originally created by the Canadian government, EcoLogo claims to offer North America’s largest product certification program for 300 product categories, and it is one of two programs in North America that has been declared by the Global EcoLabelling Network (GEN) to meet ISO 14024 standards for eco-labeling.
ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy to help consumers save money and reduce their impact on the environment through energy efficient products and practices.
Fair Trade Certification (TransFair USA)
TransFair USA is a nonprofit, independent third-party certifier of fair-trade products in the U.S. and one of 20 members of Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO). TransFair tracks products from harvesting to their inclusion in a finished product, and it verifies industry compliance with fair-trade criteria. TransFair allows U.S. companies to display the Fair Trade Certified label on products that meet fair-trade standards.
Forest Stewardship Council
FSC certification guarantees wood-based products with this label were produced with materials from sustainably managed forests. FSC-accredited, independent third-party certifiers assess forest management using the FSC’s principles, criteria and standards, and each certifier uses an individual evaluative process.
For companies that manufacture or trade wood-based products, a different form of certification applies. The “chain of custody” (COC) certification process allows products to be separated and identified as having come from a particular source—in this case, an FSC-certified forest.
GREENGUARD
The mission of the nonprofit GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) is to improve public health and quality of life through programs that improve indoor air. GEI offers three third-party certification programs related to indoor products, environments and building construction: Indoor Air Quality Certified, Children & Schools and Building Construction.
Green Seal
Founded in 1989, the nonprofit group Green Seal provides science-based environmental certification standards for products to help end users make responsible choices that positively impact business behavior and improve quality of life. GreenSeal standards cover more than 40 major product categories.
LEED Green Building Rating System™
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, which is overseen by the U.S. Green Building Council, encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria. LEED recognizes performance in five areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)
SFI, an independent charitable group, certifies products made with wood harvested from sustainably managed forests. SFI offers forest and COC certification, and it also requires participants to ensure that the material in their supply chain comes only from legal and responsible sources, regardless of whether those forests are certified.
USDA National Organic Program (NOP)
The USDA National Organic Program regulates the standards for any farm, wild crop harvesting or handling operation that wants to sell an agricultural product as organically produced. NOP develops, implements and administers national production, handling and labeling standards for organic agricultural products, and it also accredits foreign and domestic certifying agents who inspect organic production and handling operations to certify that they meet USDA standards.
Jen Alexander McCall is a business writer and former associate editor for PPB.
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