Approval Bodies

■  ASTM International

ASTM International is one of the largest voluntary standards development organizations in the world-a trusted source for technical standards for materials, products, systems, and services. Known for their high technical quality and market relevancy, ASTM International standards have an important role in the information infrastructure that guides design, manufacturing and trade in the global economy. Standards developed at ASTM are the work of over 30,000 ASTM members. These technical experts represent producers, users, consumers, government and academia from over 120 countries. Participation in ASTM International is open to all with a material interest, anywhere in the world.

■  BSI

BSI offers certification for management systems assessment and certification solutions, with more than 60,000 certified locations and clients in over 100 locations worldwide. BSI offers effective certifications for quality control, environmental, information security, integrated management, occupational health and safety standards across a broad range of business areas.

■  Co-op America

Co-op America is a not-for-profit membership organization founded to harness economic power—the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace—to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society. Co-op America works for a world where all people have enough, where all communities are healthy and safe, and where the bounty of the Earth is preserved for all the generations to come. Co-op America focuses on economic strategies or economic action to solve social and environmental problems, mobilizes people in their economic roles—as consumers, investors, workers, business leaders, empowers people to take personal and collective action, works on issues of social justice and environmental responsibility and works to stop abusive practices and to create healthy, just and sustainable practices.

■  CSA

CSA is one of the leading testing laboratories to test and certify that products meet standardized test protocols in the United States for safety and performance. Accredited by ANSI and NES, CSA is a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) with recognition both nationally and globally. CSA is also accredited by the Occupational Health and Safety Association (OSHA) and its marks on products are accepted by major retailers, manufacturers, distributors, specifiers and regulators throughout the U.S. and in export markets around the world.

■  Energy Star

Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices. EPA’s ENERGY STAR partnership offers a proven energy management strategy that helps in measuring current energy performance, setting goals, tracking savings, and rewarding improvements. EPA provides an innovative energy performance rating system which businesses have already used for more than 30,000 buildings across the country. EPA also recognizes top performing buildings with the ENERGY STAR.

■  Environmental Choice

Environmental Choice or EcoLogo is North America’s most widely recognized and respected certification of environmental leadership. By setting standards and certifying products in more than 120 categories, EcoLogo helps you identify, trust, buy, and sell environmentally preferable (“green”) goods and services. On this website, you’ll find more than 7,000 EcoLogo-certified products from hundreds of manufacturers. North America’s oldest environmental standard and certification organization, Ecologo has grown to serve buyers and sellers of green products throughout the United States and Canada, and around the world. Ecologo is accredited by the Global Ecolabeling Network as meeting the international ISO 14024 standard for environmental labels.

■  Fair Trade Certified

The Fair Trade Certified™ Label guarantees consumers that strict economic, social and environmental criteria were met in the production and trade of an agricultural product. Fair Trade Certification is currently available in the U.S. for coffee, tea and herbs, cocoa and chocolate, fresh fruit, flowers, sugar, rice, and vanilla. TransFair USA licenses companies to display the Fair Trade Certified label on products that meet strict international Fair Trade standards.

TransFair USA, a non-profit organization, is the only independent, third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the U.S. and one of 20 members of Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO). More of each dollar spent on any of these products goes back to the farmers and farm workers who produce them. The US Fair Trade market has thus empowered farmers and farm workers around the world to determine their most pressing local economic development needs for themselves, and reinvest in their products, cooperatives, and communities in appropriate and sustainable ways.

■  Food Alliance

Food Alliance (FA) is a coalition of farmers, consumers, scientists, grocers, processors, distributors, farm worker representatives and environmentalists that certifies farmers for sustainable agriculture practices. Farmers must meet FA standards for pest and disease management, soil and water conservation, and human resource development. Farmers are required to submit a farm improvement plan and sign an affidavit that genetically engineered crops are not used. The pest and disease management, and soil and water conservation standards were designed by Thomas Green (independent contractor) and copyrighted by Food Alliance. This means that no other certifier can use FA standards. The pest management standards are tailored for each specific type of crop while the soil and water conservation standards and the human resource checklist are only evaluated at the whole farm level.

■  Forest Stewardship Council

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international accrediting organization that has developed standards to certify wood harvested from ³well-managed² forests and wood products made from FSC certified wood. The FSC was founded in 1993 by the World Wide Fund for Nature, environmental and conservation groups, the timber industry, the forestry profession, indigenous peoples¹ organizations, community forestry groups and forest product certification organizations from 25 countries. The FSC is headquartered in Oaxaca, Mexico although it has regional offices worldwide. In addition to the Forest Management Program, FSC also offers a Chain of Custody Program that accounts for how the certified wood is managed once it leaves the forest. Labels on these products may also include a statement regarding the percentage of FSC wood in the product.

■  Green Seal

Green Seal is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to safeguarding the environment and transforming the marketplace by promoting the manufacture, purchase, and use of environmentally responsible products and services. Green Seal works with manufacturers, industry sectors, purchasing groups, and governments at all levels to "green" the production and purchasing chain. We utilize a life-cycle approach, which means we evaluate a product or service beginning with material extraction, continuing with manufacturing and use, and ending with recycling and disposal. Products only become Green Seal certified after rigorous testing and evaluation, including on-site plant visits. Green Seal's specific programs include standards and certification, greening your government, choosing green reports, greening the lodging industry, and advocating public policy. GreenSeal is accredited by the Global Ecolabeling Network.

■  Green-E

Green-e is the nation's leading independent certification and verification program for renewable energy and greenhouse gas emission reductions in the retail market. It has three certification programs: Green-e Climate is a voluntary certification program launched in 2007 that sets consumer-protection and environmental-integrity standards for greenhouse gas(GHG) emission reductions sold in the voluntary market. Green-e Energy is the nation's leading independent certification and verification program for renewable energy. Green-e Marketplace is a program that allows companies to display the logo when they have purchased a qualifying amount of renewable energy and passed our verification standards.

Using non-renewable resources to create electricity produces more harmful emissions linked to global warming than any other human activity. The remaining two percent of U.S. electricity generated from clean, renewable resources—such as wind, solar, geothermal, small hydro-electric and biomass—produce dramatically less air pollution and have significantly smaller environmental impacts.

■  Organic Trade Association

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is a membership-based business association that focuses on the organic business community in North America.  OTA's mission is to promote and protect the growth of organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public and the economy. OTA is also a member of the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM.)

■  Rainforest Alliance

The Rainforest Alliance (RA) is an environmental organization based in New York City and dedicated to the conservation of tropical forests. RA is a member of the Sustainable Agricultural Network (SAN). The Rainforest Alliance Certified label is clear and meaningful in support of sustainable agriculture, social responsibility, and integrated pest management. The Rainforest Alliance verifes that certified products have been grown using environmentally responsible management practices including integrated pest and disease management practices, soil and water conservation, fair labor treatment practices and good community relations.

■  SGS International

SGS International is a global company that inspects, verifies, tests, and certifies products and services. The core services offered by SGS can be divided into four categories:

• Inspection Services. SGS inspects and verifies the quantity, weight and quality of traded goods. Inspection typically takes place at the manufacturer’s/supplier’s premises or at time of loading or at destination during discharge/off-loading.
  
  
• Testing Services. SGS tests product quality and performance against various health, safety and regulatory standards. SGS operates state of the art laboratories on or close to customers' premises.
  
  
• Certification Services. SGS certifies that products, systems or services meet the requirements of standards set by governments (e.g. GOST R), standardisation bodies (e.g.ISO 9000) or by SGS customers. SGS also develops and certifies its own standards.
  
  
• Verification Services:
  SGS verification services ensure that products and services comply with global standards and local regulations. Combining global coverage with local knowledge, unrivalled experience and expertise in virtually every industry, SGS covers the entire supply chain from raw materials to final consumption.

■  The European Eco Label

The EU Eco-label has a clear objective of encouraging business to market greener products. Part of the Eco-label mission is to provide the producers with the necessary information to reap the advantages of this strategy. If you are a retailer, you can discover which benefits you can obtain from the Eco-label and learn from others' experience. For the consumers, there is no better way to make informed environmental choices when purchasing than by recognizing and understanding the Eco-labels on products.

Eco-label is a voluntary scheme designed to encourage businesses to market products and services that are kinder to the environment and for European consumers - including public and private purchasers - to easily identify them. You can find the Flower symbol of the Eco-label throughout the European Union as well as in Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland. The European Eco-label is part of a broader strategy aimed at promoting sustainable consumption and production.

■  United States Green Building Council

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a community of leaders working to transform the way building and communities are designed, built and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life. The USGBC is a non-profit organization committed to expanding sustainable building practices. USGBC is composed of more than 12,000 organizations from across the building industry that are working to advance structures that are environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy places to live and work. Members includes building owners and end-users, real estate developers, facility managers, architects, designers, engineers, general contractors, subcontractors, product and building system manufacturers, government agencies, and nonprofits.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a voluntary, consensus-based national rating system for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings.  Developed by USGBC, LEED addresses all building types and emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection, and indoor environmental quality. LEED is a practical rating tool for green building design and construction that provides immediate and measurable results for building owners and occupants.

USGBC provides top quality educational programs on green design, construction, and operations for professionals from all sectors of the building industry. More than 54,500 designers, builders, suppliers, and managers have attended USGBC educational programs to gain practical knowledge, explore new business opportunities, and learn how to create healthier, more productive and more efficient places to live and work.

■  USDA Organic

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Organic program is a national organic program that regulates the standards for any farm, wild crop harvesting, or handling operation that wants to sell an agricultural product as organically produced. The National Organic Program and the Organic Foods Production Act are intended to assure consumers that the organic foods they purchase are produced, processed, and certified to be consistent with national organic standards. U.S. producers are turning to certified organic farming systems as a potential way to lower input costs, decrease reliance on nonrenewable resources, capture high-value markets and premium prices, and boost farm income. Organic farming systems rely on ecologically based practices such as cultural and biological pest management, exclusion of all synthetic chemicals, antibiotics, and hormones in crop and livestock production. USDA has set requirements for the importing and exporting of organic products.