How To Determine If A Green Certification Is Legitimate

Flip through any catalog of building and maintenance supplies, and you’re likely to find numerous packages touting the environmental merits of the products contained inside. As facility executives have become more aware of the impact many products can have on the environment, manufacturers have been trying to gain market share by broadcasting their products’ eco-friendliness.

The result has been a plethora of competing environmental claims, some valid, others little more than marketing propaganda. These claims, often known as “greenwashing,” have proliferated over the past several years, says Charlie Szoradi, chief executive officer of GreenandSave, an online source of green data. “It’s the Wild West with greenwashing.”