Attributes of Green Products and Services
There are many characteristics of “green” products, and the effort to determine what is the best environmental as well as best overall value can at first be a daunting task. Often, a buyer wants to do the right thing but gets overwhelmed trying to find the best product amid a maze of labels, claims and attributes - especially when pressed for time!
The following list breaks down the various attributes to get you thinking about the impacts and costs that products and services have throughout their life cycle. You must realize that all products and services do have environmental impacts from the point of raw materials extraction to their final disposal.
Many of you may have experience in purchasing recycled-content products. While buying recycled-content products is still important, the goal now is to incorporate as many of the following “green” attributes as you can while maintaining a reasonable price. This is going “beyond recycled”, to incorporate multiple environmental attributes.
Product Attributes - Look for products & services that have one or more of these attributes:
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• energy efficient |
• bio – based (made from vegetative materials) |
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• durable |
• quickly renewable materials (i.e. bamboo) |
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• non / least toxic |
• biodegradable |
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• non polluting for indoor / outdoor air quality |
• waste minimizing |
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• recycled |
• low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) |
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• recyclable (can be recycled) |
• non petroleum based |
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• water efficient |
• minimize impacts to public health |
Process Attributes - Look for products that were produced in a more sustainable way:
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• impacts to public health minimized or reduced through pollution controls or avoidance of toxic substances |
• manufacturing powered by renewable resources (i.e. solar, wind) |
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• waste minimizing manufacturing processes |
• less impactful raw materials extraction (e.g. sustainably harvested timber) |
Company Attributes - Look for products or services from a more responsible company:
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• service rather than product focus |
• internal EPP program |
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• ISO 9000 or ISO 14000 certified |
• internal recycling program |
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• lack of environmental violations |
• greening the supply chain |
EXAMPLES:
Attributes That Make Certain Products “Green”
· Appliances for the home & office:
Look for appliances with the ENERGYSTAR™ label which means that that product is in the top 25% of their class in terms of energy efficiency. This logo now adorns home and office appliances in every category! Many ENERGYSTAR labeled appliances such as washing machines and dish washers are also water efficient!
· Cleaning products:
Look for those that are biodegradable, have low VOCs content, are not toxic to aquatic organisms, do not contain highly caustic or corrosive chemicals (very strong acids or bases) or chlorine bleach, do not contain phosphorus, that are packaged in recycled content packaging and/or that is recyclable.
· Paper products:
This category includes copy/printer paper, file folders, note pads, manila folders, envelopes, paper napkins and plates, toilet tissue, etc. Look for paper products made from the highest percentage of post-consumer recycled content possible, processed chlorine free or made from non-tree materials such as kenaf, bamboo or hemp. |