There is a growing list of sustainability labels and certifications to be aware of. Some are for products, some for buildings, and some for business operations. Here are three to be aware of:

Declare.

Manufacturers voluntarily disclose product information on easy-to-read Declare labels. These labels report all product ingredients and use a simple color code system to flag chemicals of concern. Further information is provided on the product’s final assembly locations, life expectancy, end-of-life options, and overall compliance with relevant requirements of the Living Building Challenge (LBC).

All active Declare labels are accessible on a free and searchable database. The database is used by leading designers, large real estate owners, and homeowners to specify products they know they can trust that meet the requirements of leading green building standards, including the Core Green Building, LBC, LEED, and WELL Certifications.

Some of the lighting manufacturers that have received the label include Acuity Brands, ConTech (Leviton), Coronet, DMF Lighting, Finelite, Lightglass, Lightly, Lucalight, LuxxBoxx, Prudential Lighting, Q-TRAN, Selux, Spectrum Lighting, Tubelite, USAI, XAL, and Xico Lighting.

Learn more about Declare here.

EcoVadis

EcoVadis has grown to become the world’s largest and most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings, creating a global network of more than 100,000+ rated companies. The EcoVadis sustainability assessment methodology is at the heart of our Ratings and Scorecards and is an evaluation of how well a company has integrated the principles of Sustainability/CSR into their business and management system.

The EcoVadis methodology is built on international sustainability standards, including the Global Reporting Initiative, the United Nations Global Compact, and the ISO 26000, covering 200+ spend categories and 175+ countries. The Sustainability Scorecard illustrates performance across 21 indicators in four themes:

• Environment
• Labor & Human Rights
• Ethics
• Sustainable Procurement

Learn more about EcoVadis here.

Green Globes

Green Globes is run by the Green Building Initiative (GBI) and is primarily active in the US and Canada, but is able to administer Green Globes certification globally. GBI offers three Green Globes Programs:

Green Globes for New Construction

Green Globes for Existing Buildings

Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors

Green Globes is a federally recognized third-party assessment and certification system that evaluates environmental sustainability, health & wellness, and resilience of individual buildings and entire portfolios. Each project team completes an online questionnaire, which is the criteria of that particular Green Globes program turned into a question set. As the project team responds to the criteria, the score will update, so that the project team knows where they stand at any point in time. Once the questionnaire is complete and the supporting documentation is uploaded, GBI will assign a third-party Assessor to review the questionnaire and compare responses to the supporting documentation.

For New Construction & Sustainable Interiors projects, the Assessor will then perform a Design Review assessment, which provides a report including a projected score and rating, guidance for preparing for the final assessment, and recommendations for improvement. Once construction is complete or substantially complete, the assessor will conduct the final assessment, which may either be an in-person or virtual site visit (for an Existing Building certification, this is the first and final assessment). The assessor will review elements of the building and provide feedback in the form of a final report. GBI will issue the report and certificate.

There are four levels of certification, One through Four Green Globes. Project are eligible for a One Green Globes certification when they have achieved 35% of the total applicable points.

Learn more about Green Globes here.

Check out our other stories about sustainable efforts here. 

David Shiller

David Shiller is the Publisher of LightNOW, and President of Lighting Solution Development, a North American consulting firm providing business development services to advanced lighting manufacturers. The ALA awarded David the Pillar of the Industry Award. David has co-chaired ALA’s Engineering Committee since 2010. David established MaxLite’s OEM component sales into a multi-million dollar division. He invented GU24 lamps while leading ENERGY STAR lighting programs for the US EPA. David has been published in leading lighting publications, including LD+A, enLIGHTenment Magazine, LEDs Magazine, and more.

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