Registered: Member deleted
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Reply with quote | #1 |
Anyone agree?
Take a look at the attachment for their certification costs.
I mean, DANG!
That's a lot of money coming in for a non-profit organization, no? And plus there is a yearly fee!
I think I'll be referring to them as Green Steal, or perhaps Green $eal.
There was no way our company could afford to pay for the Green $teal certification for our new Green product line of hard surface cleaners. We decided to go with the EPA's Design for the Environment (DfE) initiative. It seems to be less "popular" but the program, itself, is free.
I hope to see more organizations looking towards DfE and away from Green $teal.
Whose coming with me?
Attached Files:
 GS_Product_Certification_Fees_7-05.pdf (90.27 KB, 61 views)
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Steve
Moderator
Registered: 07/02/07
Posts: 4
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Reply with quote | #2 |
The challenge that purchasers have historically had is that they're not chemists, toxicologists or environmental scientists. As a result, it was really hard for them to determine if manufacturers claims were valid considering all the health, safety, environmental and performance issues that had to be considered. Furthermore. while the vast majority of manufacturers are honest, we are all aware of the Enrons, Tycos, etc.
Thus, the value of Green Seal and other third-party certifiers (i.e. Environmental Choice) to purchasers is that it makes it easy for them to buy because a third-party has looked at all the testing documentation and even visited the manufacturer to insure they were doing what they said.
And testing to me is a serious issue because too many manufacturers are NOT doing adequate testing. For example, very few do skin sensitization studies with their products and many do little environmental test such as aquatic toxicity.
As to the cost, for a small manufacturer it appears that the cost is $2,800 per product with an annual audit cost of $2,500 which is less than the cost of a single ad in a trade publication --- and yes I know that tiny companies don't do advertising... But once the process is completed it can be used all across the country because Green Seal's standard is so pervasive.
The final point I think is important is that all of this is voluntary. There is no law forcing manufacturers to get certified so even if you decide NOT to get certified, you can find customers for your products who rely upon other methods to decide if your products are right for them.
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