What should be labeled?
Finally, should your business select a company-wide or product-specific label? There are pros and cons to each of these types of certifications. Green America, B-Corporation, Fair Trade Certified, Green Seal and ULE all provide company-wide certification. Green Seal and ULE also provide product-specific labels.
When the entire company is certified, in most cases the issuing organization looks beyond product attributes such as material, energy use, etc. Green America, for example, reviews the labor practices, fair trade practices, community involvement, transparency and communication, employee treatment, and charitable giving practices of the company. So when a consumer shops from a Green America Gold Certified company, he or she knows that the entire corporate culture is dedicated to sustainability and social responsibility.
On the other hand, when labeling occurs at the product level, as with the Energy Star program, one only knows that the exact product that being purchased meets very specific environmental criteria. But since the entire company has not been reviewed, it is possible that the manufacturer may have sweatshops in China or be a big contributor to the coal lobby, for example.
Where does all this leave us? Is certification worth the hassle? My answer is a big resounding yes! Obtaining an eco label “seal of approval” shows customers that your business is serious about sustainability, while also providing you and your employees with a good sustainability education along the way.
[Note: the EcoPlum Online Boutique carries only eco friendly products that have been certified green, have a third party eco-label, or are made of recycled/upcycled materials.]
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Every building should be
Every building should be green-rated. LEED, Earth Advantage, and some (not all) of the other national and local certification programs offer credible third-party recognition for commercial buildings. Selecting the right program (as would be the case if considering certification for other areas of interest - such as products, manufacturers, etc.) is an important decision, and depending on a project's size, location, budget, owner's goals and several other factors, one program might be a better fit than others.
Looking at the two leading national programs, LEED and Earth Advantage Commercial, let's consider two buildings:
250,000 mid-rise new office building
In my experience, LEED remains the tool of choice for large (>100,000 sf) buildings, since the soft cost hits can be leveraged successfully across the larger project and become a small percentage of the total cost. Energy modeling of a building this size also typically pays off.
50,000 retail center redevelopment
I would first look to Earth Advantage Commercial (EAC) for a project of this size and type, as projects under 70,000 sf can use a prescriptive package of energy efficiency measures, instead of an energy model (which typically starts to be worthwhile as projects get into the 70,000 range). Additionally, with a redevelopment, EAC can assess the relative impact of addressing different systems to focus the project team on the relatively large opportunities.
We live in a world of ever increasing choice, and as long as we can steer clear of non-credible programs, opportunities abound.
Hi Gia, thanks for your
Hi Gia, thanks for your article! I wanted to point you to SustainAbility's report, "Signed, Sealed...Delivered" that I co-wrote with my colleague Patrin Watanatada - we examined "why label?" instead of "what label" and looked at the value and challenges that standards, certifications and labels pose to businesses, and the future needed for them. After reading your article, I think you would find it some relevant reading.
http://www.sustainability.com/library/signed-sealed-delivered-1#.T9bqUSM...
Thanks Heather. I will
Thanks Heather. I will definitely take a look out your report.
Hi Gia, thanks for your
Hi Gia, thanks for your article! I wanted to point you to SustainAbility's report, "Signed, Sealed...Delivered" that I co-wrote with my colleague Patrin Watanatada - we examined "why label?" instead of "what label" and looked at the value and challenges that standards, certifications and labels pose to businesses, and the future needed for them. After reading your article, I think you would find it some relevant reading.
http://www.sustainability.com/library/signed-sealed-delivered-1#.T9bqUSM...