Green Seal’s Environmental Standards & Certification The Role of Standards Setting Processes:...
Transcript of Green Seal’s Environmental Standards & Certification The Role of Standards Setting Processes:...
Green Seal’s Environmental Standards
& CertificationThe Role of Standards Setting Processes:
Defining "What is Green?" NPPR Webinar March 5, 2009
Mark T. PetruzziVP of Certification & Strategic Relations
2
About Green Seal, Inc.
• Celebrating 20th Anniversary - 1989-2009
• 501(c)(3) non-profit• Science-based• Environmental mission through
exclusive focus on environmentally responsible products and services
• Product standards and technical reports• Green Lodging Program• Institutional Greening Program• Meets ANSI, EPA, ISO, GEN criteria
3
Third-party certifiers should meet the applicable guidelines
• ISO 14020 and 14024– Principles of Environmental Labeling– Principles and Procedures for Type I
Ecolabels• Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN)
membership criteria• GEN Internationally Coordinated
Ecolabelling System (GENICES, evaluation for conformance with ISO 14024)
• ANSI-accredited standards developer• EPA Guidelines for Third-Party Certifiers• Consumers Union criteria for “What makes a
good eco-label?”
5
Commonalities Among Guidelines
• Voluntary participation• Run by organizations
without conflicts of interest• Standards process that
involves stakeholders & the public
• Criteria, assumptions, methods & data used are open & transparent (i.e., publicly available, easily accessed & understandable)
• Legally protected mark• Criteria based on
product/service lifecycle
• Open access to licensees of all sizes, all countries
• Authority to inspect manufacturing facility or service location
• Criteria that encourage products & services that are significantly less damaging to the environment (i.e., leadership, usually top 15-25% in category)
• Periodic review of criteria, considering technology & marketplace
6
• Objective• Explicit• Science-based• Transparent• Life-cycle environmental & health
considerations• Include functional performance• Balanced stakeholder input• Attainable for leadership products or
services• Economically feasible
Principles of Green Seal’s Environmental Leadership
Standards
7
Multi-Attribute, Life-Cycle Approach
• Raw materials extraction & processing• Manufacturing• Functional Performance• Packaging• Transportation• Use & Maintenance• End-of-life (disposal, recycling, reuse)
8
How Green Seal SetsEnvironmental Standards
• Register stakeholders (including end users, manufacturers, trade groups, scientists, government, environmentalists, NGOs, others)
• Study category• Environmental Evaluation• Draft standard• Public review• Response-to-Comments• Stakeholder ballot*• Publish standard
* where appropriate
9
Example Green Seal Criteria• Product Performance: To ensure products perform like
“conventional” products in the category and meet the expectation of users
• Environmental and Health Requirements: – Acute toxicity limits; skin and eye irritation; skin
sensitization and absorption limits; prohibited toxins (ex. carcinogens, mutagens, reproductive toxins, asthmagens); volatile organic compound limits; inhalation toxicity limits; bioaccumulation and eutrophication limits; aquatic toxicity limits; biodegradability; minimum concentration levels
• Packaging Requirements: – Packaging resource reduction; packaging type
requirements; prohibited toxins (ex. heavy metals, phthalates, chlorinated materials)
• Training and Labeling Requirements: To ensure the purchaser has access to accurate information to help them decide on products (e.g., presence/absence of an added fragrance) and use the products correctly (instructions for dilution, use, multi-lingual, use of graphic icons)
10
ISO versus ANSI(not a sci-fi movie or pay-per-view boxing)
No substantive difference in Green Seal’s standard-setting procedures with one exception -
• ANSI procedures require consensus• ISO 14024 requires that “Reasonable efforts
should be made to achieve a consensus throughout the process.”
Why? Recognition that consensus is a reasonable expectation for certain types of standards (e.g., test methodologies, management/process standards, rating systems), whereas leadership environmental standards (e.g., life-cycle standards that a majority of products cannot meet) may find it difficult to achieve without “weakening” the standard.
11
Green Seal Certification
• Rigorous science-based evaluation using explicit criteria• Products & services evaluated w/o bias or conflict of
interest• On-site inspections of product manufacturing facilities
or service locations (e.g., hotels, restaurants)• Includes review of ancillary materials (e.g., literature,
labels, catalogs, website) for GS, FTC, unsubstantiated env. claims
• Evaluation fees are fixed/flat, so Green Seal has no direct financial ties to certified products and services
• Certified products and services must participate in ongoing compliance monitoring to remain certified
12
Green Seal “cleaning” standards
• GS-34 Cleaning/Degreasing Agents• GS-37 I&I Cleaners• GS-40 I&I Floor-Care Products• GS-41 I&I Hand Cleaners* (CCD-104)• GS-42 I&I Cleaning Services• GS-45 Plastic Resin Film Bags**• GS-48 Laundry Care Products**• GS-49 Residential Cleaning Services**• GS-1 Tissue Paper***• GS-9 Paper Towels***
* joint EcoLogo standard** under development, see www.greenseal.org*** under revision, see www.greenseal.org
13
Why Use Environmental Standards in Purchasing?
• Type I (“seal of approval”) environmental labels used worldwide for 30+ years
• Principles and procedures for environmental standard-setting and third-party certification are well-established in international and domestic guidelines (with great agreement)
• Credible environmental standards and third-party certification can greatly reduce the effort needed for identifying, selecting and purchasing environmentally responsible products and services
• Recognized standards define “green” for purchasers & manufacturers in the context of current marketplace; help to aggregate demand
• Avoid debate over single attributes (biobased OR low VOCs – neither addresses performance)
• Use of credible environmental standards can provide insulation from complaints
14
Contact Information
Green Seal, Inc. 1001 Connecticut Ave, NW Suite 827 Washington, D.C., 20036 Tel: (202) 872-6400 Email: [email protected] Website:www.greenseal.org
Thank You!