Launching the SGS Green Mark to enable brands, manufacturers, suppliers and retailers to meet rising consumer demand for greener products and services, SGS, a leading testing, inspection and certification company, continues to extend its portfolio of sustainability services.
Developed by the company’s experts in consultation with industry leaders, the new Green Mark comprises seven single attribute claims, making it one of the most diverse environmental claim certification and verification schemes on the market.
As governments and regulators around the world look to scrutinise and tackle greenwashing, more and more companies are seeking third party verification and certification of their environmental actions to demonstrate the validity of their materials and processes in the manufacturing and supply of a wide range of products from garments, fabrics, food service ware and plastic packaging to data cables, electronics and furniture.
Utilising the SGS logo, the Green Mark demonstrates compliance with pre-defined standards relating to seven environmental attributes including hazardous substance assessed, recycled content, PFAS assessed, bio based, PVC free, industrial compostable and biodegradability.
Products are independently assessed in accordance with recognised standards and a technical review is conducted by an industry specialist to confirm the product claim is scientifically justified. Once compliance has been confirmed through rigorous assessment within the company’s global network of laboratories, a product can display the fully traceable SGS Green Mark. This mark shows details of the environmental claim and assessment standard(s). It also displays a QR code to give consumers access to further information that verifies the claim’s authenticity.
Keith Hutchinson, deputy head, connectivity and products global certification, said: ‘We are extremely proud to launch the SGS Green Mark, driven by customers’ needs to build consumer trust, and are already progressing plans to extend the portfolio of seven attributes.
‘For consumers, the single attribute claim makes it easier to understand and to align purchases more easily with their sustainability requirements. For businesses, it simplifies the process by making it more focused while helping to minimise the risk of greenwashing.’
Following the company’s piloting of the scheme, a range of companies from electronic and textile sectors have already gained the SGS Green Mark with consumers now benefiting from products displaying the logo and QR code.
The SGS Green Mark supports businesses and brands striving to enhance their sustainability effort and respond to rising consumer demands for greener products and services.
Based on recognised standards such as ISO/IEC 17065, ISO/IEC 17029, ISO 14065 and ISO 14021, the SGS Green Mark verifies that products have passed a range of assessments to meet specific and quantifiable environmental attributes and claims.
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