Hotel managers and housekeepers hear quite a bit about green certification, the system that allows end customers to identify green cleaning products. In fact, customers often ask their distributors if the products they recommend are “green certified” or, as some call it, “proven green.” Many cleaning product buyers are also aware that there are now several green certification organizations, including GreenSeal and EcoLogo, as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Design for the Environment Program (DfE), which has grown in prominence lately.
However, the process a product must undergo to become green certified is probably less well known among end users. Learning about this process can help hotel managers and housekeepers make wiser product choices, better understand what it means for a product to be proven green, and discover the potential health benefits of selecting green certified products.
So what exactly does it mean for a product to be green certified? For our purposes, it means that a product has been laboratory evaluated by a third party lab and proven to meet specific standards and criteria that verify the product has a reduced impact on human health and or the environment. There are more than a dozen or so criteria that must be met or exceeded, including criteria such as:
• Is the product safer for users and building occupants when compared to comparable non-green products?
• Is the product readily biodegradable and nontoxic?
• Does the product contain hazardous by-products?
• Is the product packaged in recycled material that is also recyclable?
• Does the product meet indoor air quality criteria?
Rest assured, hotel housekeepers and administrators should be able to find a green certified product for almost all applications that will likely work as well—if not better than—conventional products, and that is priced competitively. However, some research of various products may be required.
The Start of the Certification Journey
To understand the certification journey, let’s use a fictional all-purpose cleaner as an example. The manufacturer must tell the selected certification organization what category the product falls into and why it should be considered for green certification.
If accepted, our all-purpose cleaner would then be sent for what some certification bodies call a “bench audit.” During this process the product is independently evaluated by an accredited, third-party laboratory specializing in a certain product category.
In total, more than a dozen criteria must be proven. If the results meet or exceed the set criteria, they are then sent to the certification organization, which verifies that each and every criteria have been met. If the product’s results are approved, a second audit begins: the site audit.
The site audit essentially double checks the laboratory’s test results. But this process goes a step further: it traces the entire production of the all-purpose cleaner from start to finish, reconfirming that the product contains only the ingredients listed on its label. If the site audit proves successful, the cleaner can then be green certified and proudly bear the label, or “mark,” of the certification organization.*
Some Other Things You Should Know
Hotel managers and housekeepers should also know that the manufacturer of the all-purpose cleaner has to pay to have its product certified, a process that can cost several thousand dollars. Since manufacturers obviously want to avoid wasting time or money, by the time the all-purpose cleaner was submitted for certification, the manufacturer was fairly sure that it would meet the necessary criteria.
The certification process is not really over even when the product is given the right to use the certification labeling. In fact, the certification process is never really over. That’s because most products are certified for only a set period of time (around 36 to 48 months). During that time, the criteria or standards may change. In order for the all-purpose cleaner to hold on to its green certification label, it may eventually need to be reformatted so that it can meet any changes in the criteria.
It is also not uncommon for certification organizations to pay unexpected visits to manufacturers. Since their certification is now proudly posted on the product’s label, certifying organizations want to ensure that the product is still being produced in the same way with the same ingredients.
The bottom line for hotel managers and housekeepers is that you can rest assured that if a product is certified and proven green, it is safer to use, effective, and cost effective, all with a reduced impact on the environment.
*Any change in the product’s formulation may require that the product be retested and verified.
Mike Sawchuk has been involved with the jansan industry for more than 16 years. He is currently vice president and general manager of Charlotte Products and Enviro-Solutions, www.enviro-solution.com, a leading manufacturer of certified-green cleaning chemicals, based in Ontario, Canada. As a frequent presenter at seminars and tradeshows as well as author of several articles discussing green cleaning issues, Sawchuk is recognized as a “hands on” expert on green cleaning chemicals and systems.
