Going Green with Your Business? Certify!

Green, green, green. Like a flock of hungry seagulls, businesses are screeching “green” in advertisements and PR events around the world. Unfortunately, with that comes a good deal of greenwashing, or companies painting the illusion of green to sell a product or re-brand but in reality working very little toward sustainability.

Doubly unfortunate for truly green business is the competitive advantage these greenwashing tactics have over genuine ones. Some examples: BP’s now infamous green-and-yellow sunflower and “Beyond Petroleum” slogan or McDonald’s localwashing billboards. Such companies appear green but spend little or none of the time and cost to really go green, giving them the advantage, when by all rights it should be the real green businesses getting the recognition and the consumers.

So how do green businesses get the competitive edge and karmic rewards associated with green business tactics? Certification. The trend toward product and business certification is strong and growing fast. Avenues for certification, from LEED points (for the green construction process) to Green Seal (for the end product), are popping up all over the world.

Eco-minded consumers are increasingly aware that you can’t trust phrases like “all-natural” or “earth-friendly” without further investigation anymore. That fact is beginning to give green businesses the edge they deserve and facilitating a rise in independent certification programs. Here are some examples:

• U.S. Green Building Council, LEED certification for energy efficiency improvements to the building that houses the businesses.
• Institute for Green Business Certification
• Green Business League
• EcoLogo and Green Seal certify eco-friendly products
• Green-e certifies businesses and products incorporating renewable energy
• Scientific Certification Systems certifies green businesses in the agricultural, manufacturing and electricity fields
• Energy Star certifies appliances and recognizes business partners that produce energy efficient products
• USDA Organic, how green produce growers get their products sold

These examples alone cover nearly all types of products and businesses. These sites are easily accessible to anyone with an internet connection and are expanding as more consumers use the resources at their fingertips to make eco-friendly purchases from certified green businesses. With certification comes the right to carry these organizations’ eco-labels—a valuable sales pitch for consumers walking down store aisles or browsing advertisements and websites.

The trend toward eco-labeling is far from over. Indeed, it is still evolving. We’ve already seen the green building industry move from Energy Star alone to include LEED, and now it’s evolving further to better represent life-cycle assessment (LCA) in LEED ratings. Even Wal-Mart is creating its own eco-label to illustrate the eco-friendliness of products on its shelves. And when the nation’s largest retailer is developing its own eco-label, as well as demanding that its suppliers calculate the environmental impact of their products, who could say straight-faced that the trend is a passing one?

Indeed, the competitive edge of the future will go to certified green businesses. Now, all we have to do is maintain transparency and independence among budding eco-labeling organizations.

Greenwash photo via WebEcoist

Posted on July 29th in Going Solar by Dan.