GreenBiz.com's October 15, 2009 webinar on "The Green Marketing Landscape: Ratings, Labels, and Certifications" yielded far more questions than we had time to answer during the allotted 60 minutes. We've selected questions from among the hundreds asked and submitted them to our three speakers, who graciously provided answers.
Among the questions our panelists -- Suzanne Shelton, president and CEO of the Shelton Group; Brooks Beard, a partner at the law firm Morrison Foerster; and Stephen Wenc. president of UL Environment -- took the time to answer include:
• Q. Is it inherently a government function to establish the standards and promulgate labels, as compared to industry associations whose stakeholders are the vendors of products and services?
• Q. It seems to be more important that companies have a long-term vision, so that consumers see they are working towards a goal. Is that perhaps more important than certifications? This way you can talk about how you are achieving those goals.
• Q. How will President Obama's executive order on green procurement affect anything? Would FTC regulation tie into this, and shouldn't it, so taxpayers don't end up paying for greenwashing?
• Q. The broad definition of green or sustainability encompasses not just environmental sustainability, but also economic and social sustainability. Other than Free Trade Certified, are there other social and economic certification bodies?