Dec 2021: Sustainable Labels

Hi everyone, and welcome back to the blog. 😊 For this month’s post, I’d like to talk about sustainable product labels. More specifically, these are labels that companies sometimes stamp on their packaging to signal something about their business or their product. This signaling can be: they incorporate ethical, eco-friendly, fair trade, or other beneficial components into their business practices; or the product was made in a sustainable, eco-friendly, low-impact, ethical, or otherwise good-for-people-or-planet way. These can be helpful to customers by allowing them to make more informed decisions about what they’re buying, since there are SO many products out there, and sometimes it’s difficult to make a decision. However, it is also important to recognize that there is always the possibility of greenwashing.

Greenwashing is likely to be covered in greater depth in a future blog post, but it generally refers to companies or businesses claiming that their products offer an environmental benefit, using terms associated with "green”-ness or “eco-friendly”-ness, in order to improve shoppers’ perceptions and increase sales of the product. Yet their product doesn’t actually have those qualities or offers false claims. One major example of greenwashing is advertising campaigns by oil companies like Chevron and Aramco.

Given the risk of greenwashing (or flat out lying from businesses about their products), we need to be discerning and informed when it comes to buying products. If sustainability, ethical practices toward people and nature, and promotion of a more equitable world are values that are important to you, then understanding sustainable labels will be critical to supporting those values. This post serves as a review of several “sustainable” labels (or certifications) that, after deep researching, appear solid and trustworthy (many are founded on international review panels, for example). Below I have broken the labels into categories, based on what type of products they apply to.

Going through this list was not only a good challenge to compile a useful list, but also very educational for me! As they say, “knowledge is power”! 😉

All Products: B Corporation: To be a certified B Corporation, businesses need to “meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose”. These companies need to contribute to broader goals such as “reduced inequality, lower levels of poverty, a healthier environment, stronger communities, and the creation of more high quality jobs with dignity and purpose”. B Corps are certified by an U.S. nonprofit B Lab, by a team of Standards Analysts, overseen by a Standards Advisory Council and Global Governance Council (teamed with international members). One helpful way to find local B Corps in your area is to use this search tool!

The emphasis here is clearly broad, encompassing not only environmental values, but also social values as well. Some notable examples of US B Corp businesses are Patagonia, New Belgium Brewing Co., and Eileen Fisher. This certification has been around since 2007, and appears to have been increasingly used ever since.

Paper:

FSC: FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council, and it is a forest management certification program. Thus, FSC-certified products are products that “come from responsibly managed forests” that “provide environmental, social and economic benefits”. A responsibly managed forest will often mean that managers harvest wood (cut down trees) at a rate that is sustainable: each year they only take an amount that still allows the forest to regrow again to return to this year’s level in future years. This maintains the forest as a renewable resource: it renews itself within a certain number of years, every time. The maintenance of responsibly managed forests also provides benefits to other plants, animals, fungi, etc. that live there. Win-win for all!

FSC-certified products will typically be wood- or paper-based, since they are directly harvested from the forest. However, they can also consist of other types of materials derived from trees, such as rubber (as used in Patagonia wetsuits!). (There are many types of “forest” in the world, including rubber trees!). You can find the FSC label not only on products you buy, but also potentially on their shipping and packaging material, too. REI covers this topic really well in their article here.

Patagonia's FSC-certified wetsuit!

Check out this holiday gift guide from FSC, just in time for the holidays!

Food, etc:

Rainforest Alliance: This certification requires businesses to support social, economic, and environmental sustainability. This is accomplished through the use of agricultural products from farms that meet Rainforest Alliance’s agricultural standard, the use of forestry products from forests that meet the standard of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC, above), and/or the offering of services through a tourism business that meets the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s standards. Companies can apply for certification, and you will be able to find their green frog logo (below) on certified products. Here is a search tool on their website. These labels can appear on many items, from bananas to chocolate!

Fair Trade: To be Fair Trade USA certified, companies must meet “rigorous social, environmental, and economic standards”, meaning they offer safe working conditions and support environmental protection, sustainable livelihoods, and Community Development Funds. The U.S. organization has been around since 1998, and has been headquartered in Oakland, California ever since. On the global scale, Fairtrade International is based in Germany, and according to their website, is “the most recognized and trusted sustainability label in the world”. It is a global organization which is co-owned by farmers and workers throughout the world, who in turn are able to earn fairer prices and build connections. Below are the logos of both the U.S. Fair Trade and Fairtrade International organizations.

When a product is fair trade certified, there is an emphasis not only on environmental protection, but also on protections for farmers’ and workers’ rights. The difference between fair trade certified and Rainforest Alliance certified, for example, is highlighted in this case about Nestle. To find fair trade products, search here and here.

Textiles:

OEKO-TEX: OEKO-TEX consists of a group of 18 independent research and test institutes around the world who establish a standard for the textile and leather industries. To obtain OEKO-TEX certification, businesses must not use chemicals, auxiliaries, and colorants that are harmful or environmentally degrading, and their products must be “safe from a human-ecological perspective”. The variety of their label types can be found here. I have previously bought a set of sheets with this certification. To find products with this label, search here.

The categories above are by no means a comprehensive list. However, hopefully this serves as a starting point for us to become more aware of the sustainability certifications that exist out in the world. Of course, it’s important to be wary of the validity of certain labels, as there is always the risk of greenwashing. However, by researching into them, we can make informed decisions! (If you have heard of other major certifications that I am missing on this list, please feel free to comment below or email me with ideas!).

By educating ourselves about sustainability labels that support values we care about, we can make purchases based on these values, and reduce our environmental and social impact in the world. As they say, we vote with our dollars, so by supporting companies that uphold these important values, we vote for their businesses to persist, and hopefully (eventually), the incentive for more of these types of businesses to exist!

Which sustainable label is your favorite? 😊

#sustainable #sustainabilitylabels #certification #fairtrade