Three trash bins with sorted garbage in kitchen cabinet with segregated household garbage - plastic, cardboard and bio cans shot from above.

Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), an organization recognizing excellence in green business industry performance and practice globally, recently unveiled TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency), the new brand identity for its zero waste rating system.

The TRUE Zero Waste rating system was designed to help businesses and facilities achieve their zero waste goals through project certification and professional credentialing.

According to the EPA, the average American generates 4.4 pounds of trash each day. TRUE is a whole-systems approach that helps organizations understand how materials flow through their facilities and identify redesign opportunities so that all products are reused.

TRUE-certified projects meet a minimum of 90 percent waste diversion for 12 months from landfills, incinerators (waste-to-energy) or the environment. TRUE is administered by GBCI and serves as a complement to the LEED green building rating system created by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

"By driving the adoption of green practices at all levels of business, we significantly impact greenhouse gases, manage risk and improve the health and wellbeing of employees and the community,” says Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO, USGBC and GBCI.

According to the “Characterization and Management of Organic Waste Report,” disposal of solid waste contributes nearly 200 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e) in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions each year in North America — the majority of which arises from organic material mixed in the solid waste. Expanding efforts to divert and properly manage organic waste could help avoid up to 100 million MTCO2e in GHG emissions annually.

Currently, there are 88 TRUE-certified facilities around the world, including Microsoft, Tesla, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Nature’s Path, Earth Friendly Products, Raytheon, Cintas and Northrop Grumman.

"By closing the loop on waste, organizations can become more resource efficient, discover potential new revenue streams and save money,” says Ramanujam. “TRUE delivers the business case for addressing waste.”

The TRUE Zero Waste certification, previously administered by the U.S. Zero Waste Business Council, was acquired by GBCI in 2016.

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