3 sustainability labels you should know
as a consumer, we have the ability to vote with our dollar every time we purchase a product and support a company. we can choose to support companies whose values align with our own, who are conscious of their environmental impact, and who are striving to make a positive difference. labels and certifications can be super helpful and a major time saver because they provide known standards that we as the consumer can quickly recognize & know what they mean. here are 3 labels you should know when looking for environmentally minded companies:
Climate Neutral: Climate Neutral certified brands measure, offset, and reduce their carbon emissions. The first step is to understand what the sources and scale of emissions are for the company. Smaller companies can use Climate Neutral’s Brand Emissions Estimator, larger companies are required to hire a third party to verify the emissions calculations.
The second step is to offset all carbon emissions with carbon credits. Climate Neutral requires all carbon credits to be verified by one of the following standards: Gold Standard, Verified Carbon Standard, Climate Action Reserve, American Carbon Registry, Clean Development Mechanism. The third and final step for certification is to create a Reduction Action Plan that outline what actions the company is taking to reduce its emissions. To maintain the certification, these 3 steps must be completed each year and report on progress made.
tree planting is one of the approved project types for carbon credits
B Corp:
first, a quick distinction: a benefit corporation is a legal formation or corporate status, a B Corp is a certification process for companies through the non-profit, B Lab. so a company can be legally structured as a benefit corporation but not have a B corp certification, or vice versa. or they can be both if they change their corporate structure & go through the B Corp certification process.
to become B Corp certified, companies must complete a B Impact Assessment that looks at governance, workers, community, and the environment, and score at least 80 points. the certification reflects that the company meets strict standards around their social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability. the B Corp certification also requires strong consideration for stakeholder impacts. it is a rigorous certification process that requires companies to balance profit and purpose.
non-profits supported by 1% for the Planet include Lonely Whale Foundation, Surfrider, and Oceana
this label focuses on giving back to environmental causes for 6 main topic areas: climate, land, water, food, wildlife, and pollution. to join, businesses commit to directing 1% of gross sales to support environmental nonprofits. the donation can be a combination of monetary, in-kind, or approved promotional support. 1% for the Planet works with the businesses to help builds relationships with the nonprofits and certifies all donations. recently, their membership model has also expanded so that individuals can also join, providing the 1% either through monetary donations or volunteering.
