June 20th, 2008

G’day – What Green Certifications are Credible?

I came across a video from “down under” by a self-proclaimed expert on environmental management systems stating that ISO 14001 is the only credible green certification for businesses worldwide (see below). With the dozens (hundreds?) of government and non-governmental certifications that have sprouted in the last decade or two, I thought that was a provocative statement.

While the “expert’s” website is geared heavily toward making the sale, rather than providing additional information, she makes some good points in her video about the problem of green washing and loose guidelines in many green certification programs, rather than hard, provable standards.

The FTC is going through its rules on green marketing now, and these points are well taken. We will be putting together soon a paper on the FTC’s process and what it will mean for green marketing and green marketers.