What Do Those Sustainability Certifications Mean?

I like to talk a lot about sustainability and the brands that try to do better here at CPPC. I often cite certifications that those brands have as proof of why it makes this brand sustainable but I realized that not everyone understands what those certifications even mean. Today, I wanted to break down a few of those certs and why they’re important in determining where to shop, if you’re trying to make a more sustainable purchase.

Certified B Corporation

B Corp Certification is probably one you hear about most often in the sustainability world. It’s actually not specific to any one industry but it can be obtained by any for-profit entity that also pursues a social mission. This certification is currently recognized in 37 states in the USA and a number of B Lab partners globally.

The B Corp certification is the only one of its kind to measure a company’s entire social and environmental performance. To become a certified B Corp, brands must apply for and receive a voluntary certification from the B Lab, a nonprofit ensuring companies meet the highest verified, social, and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability.

However, Benefit Corps must also pay a hefty yearly fee and file an annual report that showcases how their performance benefitted social and environmental goals, according to third-party standards. This report must be made available online for consumers and delivered to shareholders within 120 days following the end of the fiscal year. To check on a company’s status, use the B Corp directory.

Fairtrade International

Fairtrade is another common certification that gets thrown around a lot in the sustainability world (and is especially common when talking about coffee!)

Fairtrade International is a global multi-stakeholder nonprofit that promotes fair wages and working conditions in a wide range of industries, including coffee and textile production. Producers, traders, importer/exporters, and manufacturers are certified through a rigorous audit via FLOCERT, a certification body created by Fairtrade International (since 2008, FLOCERT has been independent). Use of the trademark image is a separate licensing process specific to brands.

When a brand applies (and is approved) for the Fairtrade International license, they can use the FAIRTRADE Certification Mark across their products. Eligible companies must meet Fairtrade standards or source products from a Fairtrade-certified supply chain. It should be noted that stakeholders help set these standards, and producers are represented in all relevant committees. License fees and applications then vary depending on the product and where the brand is located.

Climate Neutral

Climate Neutral's mission is simple: to help brands and companies measure, offset, and reduce their carbon emissions. And by “Neutralizing,” they mean spending money to avoid, remove, and reduce emissions.

By getting certified, companies and brands help to drive millions of dollars into climate change solutions, ultimately decreasing global carbon emissions. A Climate Neutral certification also shows consumers that a company is actively caring for the planet and taking ownership over its carbon production. Currently, 92 brands are Climate Neutral Certified, and over 250,000 tonnes of C02 have been offset.

Climate Neutral makes certification accessible by offering simple tools and a straightforward certification process. According to the website, "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." The measuring process only takes a few hours for small brands using the Brand Emissions Estimator. Then it just takes two weeks for a brand to complete and document their purchase of carbon credits (verified by a third party), ultimately becoming neutral.

Climate Neutral is affordable for almost every brand, unlike many other certification processes. "Even small brands find that the costs of certification are a small fraction of their revenues—quite often around 0.4% of revenues," explains Whitman. Brands must re-certify annually to continue using the Climate Neutral Certified label.

GOTS

Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is the leading certification for organic companies worldwide. It’s most often found on bedding and garment labels. The self-financed nonprofit aims to set a global standard for organic textile and natural fiber production—from responsible harvesting to product distribution (i.e., “from field to fashion”).

There are many rules with the GOTS certification, and for a company to be certified, it must be at least 95 percent natural organic fibers. Products must not contain formaldehyde, aromatic solvents, GMOs, toxic heavy metals—to name a few. The certification also ensures social responsibility and fair labor conditions per the International Labour Organization.

The certification process is extensive, and it requires on-site annual inspections (conducted by an independent certification body) for the entire production chain—including “operators from post-harvest handling up to garment making, as well as wholesalers (including exporters and importers).” This includes inspection of chemical inputs in dyes and wastewater treatment as well as bookkeeping reviews and interviews with workers. Brands must also pay a certification cost (dependent on company size and location) and an annual fee of €150.

Leaping Bunny Program

Leaping Bunny is a verified certification used for cosmetic, skincare, or household product brands in the United States and Canada. The Cruelty Free International Leaping Bunny is the same standard on a global scale by the same org. This certification ensures there is no animal testing at any production stage, including at the supplier level.

One critique of this label is that it doesn’t verify parent companies as cruelty-free, though Leaping Bunny does require brands to promise stand-alone operation and separate supply chains. Simply put, a brand may be cruelty-free but owned by a larger company that still conducts animal testing. You can find out if a brand is owned by a parent company (one that may or may not conduct animal testing) in the Leaping Bunny Compassionate Shopping Guide.

Leaping Bunny is incredibly selective, requiring regular and independent audits, as well as supply chain monitoring and adherence to a fixed cut-off date policy. There is no registration fee for brands, but there is a licensing fee (dependent on gross sales) to use the logo.