Taiga Company

Just yesterday, I was visiting with a client developing her personal sustainability plan when she asked me what does that label mean?  She was referring to the GreenAmerica logo.  Her question sparked a discussion around eco-labels, what they represent, and how to get more information. 
 
Because there is a great deal of information and misinformation about environmentally friendly products/ services, many people can be confused. Although still developing, eco-labels give credibility and confidence to assist the discerning eco conscious consumer. 
 
An eco-label is a logo that identifies a product or company that has met an environmentally preferable standard. 
 
The International Standards Organization (ISO) identifies three types of eco-labels.
1.    The seal of approval: If you meet the standard you get the label.
2.    General claim: Adding a generic green term to the product name like “organic” or “biodegradable”. This type is the most likely to be guilty of green washing.
3.    Graded: Like “grade A beef” or “a four star hotel” graded labels provide relative indicators of quality that allow the consumer to select between different grades.
 
Some eco- labels may be more familiar than others.  In my personal consulting, I've learned that most people are familiar with:



The U.S. Department of Agriculture has put in place a set of national standards that food labeled "organic" must meet, whether it is grown in the United States or imported from other countries.
 


A label of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. The ENERGY STAR name has more than 70% of the public recognizing it.
 



However, as a sustainability consultant, I encourage clients to bring expanded eco awareness into their life and in doing so, they begin to look for environmentally friendly alternatives to current products.  When that's the case, they are in need of an eco-label resource.  A good, all in one place, eco label site is EcoLabelling.  EcoLabelling is your independent global guide to 309 ecolabels.

Now, to answer my client's question: GreenAmerica, is a not-for-profit membership organization founded in 1982. Their mission is to harness economic power—the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace—to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society.  Businesses displaying the Co-op America Seal of Approval have successfully completed Co-op America's screening process and have been approved to be listed as a socially and environmentally responsible or green—businesses in their National Green Pages directory.  An an environmental business, Taiga Company proudly displays GreenAmerica's seal of approval.