FTC Green Guides Impact Cleaning Product Certifications

How do your certifications fit in with the revised FTC Green Guides? Were the revisions beneficial to third-party certifications?

Green Seal has been actively engaged with the Green Guides since the first edition in 1992. The current environmental marketing guides are very supportive of credible third-party certification, versus manufacturer or industry association green programs/logos that now require clear and prominent qualifying language to differentiate them from a third-party certification.
— Linda Chipperfield, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Green Seal, Washington D.C.


Our new marks/logos not only communicate certification or validation to a clear and transparent standard or protocol, they do meet the requirements of the revised FTC Green Guides. The specific human health and or environmental benefits of the product are clear, and the public can get  more information about the standard or protocol from our web site as per the qualifying language used in the mark/logo.

Were the revisions beneficial to third-party certifications? Yes, as they make more clear the human health and or environmental benefits and thereby helping to reduce ‘green-washing/eco-babble.’ As the FTC becomes more aggressive in weeding out ‘green-washing/eco-babble,’ the benefits of leading third-party certifications will continue to grow – for the manufactures, for the retailers, for the users.
— Mike Sawchuk, Commercial Sector Business Manager, UL Environment, Marietta, Georgia




Will categories like microfiber brooms and mops, buckets or waste receptacles get a green certification?

Often these products have a less complicated life cycle (e.g., fewer raw materials) and the potential environmental impacts can be reduced by focusing on a smaller number of key attribute(s) in manufacturing.

For some of these categories, manufacturers have increased the amount of recycled content, which is an attribute and environmental claim that can be verified by a third-party. In general with the types of equipment mentioned, durability is probably the most important consideration given the daily use. If they need to be repaired or replaced frequently any environmental benefits are likely to be negated.
— Linda Chipperfield, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Green Seal, Washington D.C.


Certification: possibly not. However, more and more manufacturers will likely have their products independently tested for various aspects of performance and then the results compared and validated. Also, having their products independently validated that they contain a stated percentage of post-consumer recycled content or rapidly renewable resources or low VOCs will likely appeal to some. Lastly, reporting on the source and supply chain may be important to some.
— Mike Sawchuk, Commercial Sector Business Manager, UL Environment, Marietta, Georgia