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Other Certifications
American Tree Farm System
ATFS is a a program of the American Forest Foundation's Center for Family Forests. Its primary goal is to acknowledge excellence in forest stewardship among
private forest owners. Private owners that meet the ATFS guidelines and standards are recognized as Tree Farms, showing care for wood, water, wildlife and recreation.
Co-op America
Co-op America is a non-profit membership organization that offers a Green Business Seal of Approval for green businesses and a green business directory for consumers.
They certify businesses from any industry that pass a screening process determining their commitment to social and environmental responsibility.
EPA Programs
The Environmental Protection Agency has several partnership programs, each with a corresponding logo. Of note to eco-oriented designers are the Performance Track Program, the
Climate Leaders Program and the Green Power Partnership program.Partners may use the respective logos of programs they qualify for by meeting prescribed criteria.
Climate Leaders Programs are industry-government partnership programs that develop long-term comprehensive greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction strategies. Participants
set a reduction goal, inventory their emissions and report their progress in data form to the EPA. Participants enrolled in the program may display the Climate Leaders logo.
The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program designed to support the increased use of green power among leading U.S. organizations in order to reduce the
environmental impacts associated with fossil-fuel electricity generation. Partners commit to purchase an amount of green power that is proportional to their annual electricity
consumption. Eligible renewable resources include wind, solar, geothermal, qualifying biomass and low-impact hydropower. Purchase requirements may be met with green power products,
renewable energy certificates (RECs), power from on-site generation, or any combination of the three. Minimum purchase requirements must be met with power from “new” renewable
facilities. Participants that have met all criteria may use the Green Power Partnership logo. Similar to the Green Power Partnership Program, the Green Power Leadership Program is a
higher level of commitment to the procurement of renewable energy credits. Commitment is defined as a minimum of 20% of a "leader’s" total electrical load. For the largest electrical
consumers, the amount can be as high as 40%.
National Environmental Performance Track is a member program offered by the US EPA for private and public facilities that demonstrate strong environmental
performance beyond current requirements. It is a private-public partnership recognizing facilities with environmental management systems and continuous improvement in
sustainability.Partners must consistently meet environmental legal requirements, have voluntarily made unregulated environmental improvements and have implemented environmental
management systems that are subject to third-party audit. Another component of the program is environmental public outreach. It is geared mainly towards the manufacturing industry.
Performance Track Information
Green Business Alliance
Green Business Alliance helps businesses integrate environmental stewardship into their everyday business practices. Businesses recognized in their program “greenify” their operations according to a list of guidelines. A portion of their profits from this program are donated to green causes.
Green Seal
Green Seal is an independent non-profit offering certification for green businesses according to scientifically tested standards they have created for different industries.
Currently their standards are limited to some product categories, but more are in development.
Green Suppliers Network
The Green Suppliers Network works with manufacturers to engage their suppliers in low-cost technical reviews to identify strategies for improving process lines and using
materials more efficiently. Their "Lean and Clean" targets and implements methods to eliminate the root causes of waste. Working in collaboration with the U.S. Department of
Commerce (DoC), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the Green Suppliers Network to help small and medium-sized manufacturers stay competitive and profitable while
reducing their impact on the environment.
ISO 14001 Certification
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a network of national standards institutes from 157 countries that sets international business and manufacturing standards. ISO 14001 is a standard for environmental management. Companies attaining an ISO 14001 certification have developed both a comprehensive system to minimize harmful effects on the environment caused by manufacturing and a process to continually improve environmental performance. Before a certification is issued, compliance to the standard is verified by an independent auditing organization. Though ISO has no internationally recognized logo, companies that have been certified may either use their own logos with the full ISO designation (e.g., ISO 14001:2004) or ask their certifying body for permission to use the certifier’s logo with the designation.
MBDC Cradle to Cradle Certification
MBDC Cradle to Cradle Certification certifies products on varying levels of sustainability and environmentally intelligent “cradle to cradle” design. Certification is limited to products based on the tenets outlined in the book Cradle to Cradle.
SGP
The mission of the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP) is to encourage and promote the worldwide movement to reduce environmental impact and increase the social responsibility of the print and graphic communications industry. The SGP has three guiding principles of sustainable business to ensure continued viability and growth.
- To employ, materials derived from renewable resources or with low environmental impact, maximizing recycling and recovery efforts with efficient utilization of renewable energy.
- To encourage the adoption of changes within the supply chain by strongly recommending the use of raw materials that do not threaten or harm future generations.
- To educate the customer and ultimate consumer regarding the benefits of a restorative economy. Printing facilities located in the United States and Canada are eligible to apply for registration with the SGP Partnership.
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