Issue #24: Consumer Product Certified Companies
Product accountability and sustainability via certification by Climate Neutral and other companies
Occasionally I take the time to highlight a particular company that I learn about that I think others should be aware of. In this case, I found one that got me thinking about nonprofits and companies that “certify” others.
Recently, I learned about a nonprofit called Climate Neutral. Here is what they are trying to do.
Climate Neutral works to eliminate global carbon emissions by getting brands to measure, offset, and reduce the carbon they emit. We believe consumers and brands must work together to drive the world toward the zero net emissions future that science tells us we urgently need.
We built a simple set of tools and a certification that makes carbon footprinting more accessible, sets clear guidelines for carbon offsetting, and inspires brands to work on reducing emissions directly.
When a brand gets certified, it achieves zero net carbon emissions for all of the carbon it creates while making and delivering its products or services for a year. The Climate Neutral Certified label makes it easy for consumers to find certified brands.
We envision a world where all consumers have the ability to choose brands that take responsibility for their carbon emissions, and all brands have the tools to do so.
Climate Neutral is working to create a recognizable brand that certifies companies and products that meet their high expectations for carbon emissions.
If a company does, they track their emissions and pay Climate Neutral a portion of their offset measured in tonnes.
Climate Neutral Certified companies are all held to the same high standard: measure all of last year's cradle-to-customer emissions, compensate for every tonne, start reducing emissions now, and set longer term reduction targets.
Climate Neutral is by no means alone in this approach. In fact, labels like B Corp are existing leaders in the field. And where B Corp goes beyond climate and environmental impact, Climate Neutral is more focused specifically on the carbon emission certification and accountability.
There are more certification companies doing this too.
BPI (is this product compostable?)
Vegan.org (is this product vegan?)
EWG (is this chemically safe?)
Leaping Bunny (cruelty free product testing?)
The idea behind all these companies is accountability. That standards vary amongst these companies, but in order to become certified there is a public process that products and consumer product companies much adhere too. And of course, pay for.
As a consumer who cares about issues like this, a simple logo that says something is certified “vegan” or “chemical free” or “compostable” goes a long way towards consumer confidence.
Many consumers don’t have the time to vet a product or company, so we rely on companies like Climate Neutral to do that for us.
A few of the more well-known companies who have become certified by Climate Neutral include:
Allbirds
BioLite
Cotopaxi
Klean Kanteen
REI
So, the next time you’re out shopping, you may notice this tag on a product, and now you’ll know a bit more about what it means.
Are there any other companies or nonprofits doing work like this that I missed? Feel free to respond to this and let me know!
Thanks for reading!
-Michael