Chapter 1 Measure: Carbon Footprints
The Green Certification Process: Eliminating
Greenwashing and Ensuring Credibility
Businesses should be awarded green certification based on verifiable performance against
established standards, rather than entry fees and membership requirements
By R. Michael Richmond, Green Business League Inc.
The dilution of certification
requirements
While the leading edge of the business community is ready
to comply with LEED or ISO requirements, the rest of
the business world is languishing behind, still mired in
various levels of “greenwashing.” This statement is sure
to raise eyebrows, because some businesses have found
semi-respectable forms of greenwashing to be a source of
pride and would not appreciate the questioning of their
integrity. In the desire to press forward an environmental
agenda, integrity and quality have been quietly set aside;
and none dare point this fact out to the public. Questions
of assessment, verification and certification are all too often
compromised in order to gain greater participation.
There is no question that low standards will increase
participation, but this may not bring the solutions
required to address the credibility of environmental
improvements within the company. “Token green” is
just what the name implies. It allows businesses to feign
compliance without a serious commitment to needful
changes. Instead of stepping up their efforts to operate as
a truly sustainable company, there is a subtle invitation
to pretend that minimal efforts are as meritorious as full
compliance. Oddly enough, there is little objection to
this form of greenwashing because it is widespread and
provides excellent coverage for companies looking for a
more cost-effective solution.
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products” were greenwashed in some manner. The lack of
But diluting the requirements for green certification
threatens the integrity of the whole environmental
movement. While hearing clarion calls for companies
to adopt new and necessary business practices, many
programs offer only shallow qualifiers that do little more
than require the completion of online questionnaires. The
ability to quickly discern the difference between the fake
and the genuine programs isn’t that difficult. Aside from
the glowing rhetoric of environmental intent, the method
of certification is a sure sign of whether the program is
worthless or worthwhile. Low-level qualification is the
giveaway for any of the various forms of greenwashing.
A short history of greenwashing
The history of greenwashing is relatively short. When the
green trend was in its earliest stage, businesses turned to
their marketing departments and developed a promotion
that might have included an official-looking logo. This still
happens, but there came a desire to have greater authority
behind the certification. Self-promotion was followed by
third-party certifications that ranged from totally worthless to
mildly appreciable. The eventual emergence of independent
audits meant that the movement was finally ready to be
accountable for participation in meaningful change.
Various investigative projects demonstrate that expedience has
become far more popular than compliance. The TerraChoice
project reported that 98 percent of self-proclaimed “green
standards and controls had opened the door for rampant
greenwashing. While no one approves of this practice, those
involved in the deception strongly argue that they are noble
in their efforts to control the environmental impact of their
practices and products. Going green has a marketable value,
and there is now sufficient evidence of a growing market for
environmentally friendly and socially responsible products and
services. This is actually more than a trend, because it shows
no sign of decline and has good reasons for becoming a way of
life for every person, family and business. Therefore, businesses
will respond to this perceived trend with various forms of
reluctant or enthusiastic compliance.
The FTC began an investigation into greenwashing in 2008
and found ample evidence that the practice was rampant,
purposeful and generally employed to deceive the buying
public. The resulting green guidelines were not meant for
enforcement, but rather for voluntary compliance. Therefore,
the floodgates remain open except for advertisement that
crosses over into other enforceable violations.
Verification competency
The compliance issue has been compounded by the fact
that there has also been a veritable explosion of green
certification programs. These offerings range from cities
and communities promoting voluntary compliance to
online services selling logos with no requirement other
than completion of an unaudited form. Greenwashing
has graduated from embellished self-promotion to flimsy
certification programs that offer an official green status for
companies that have never been audited or reviewed for
accuracy of compliance.
Expedience does rule when there is no standard and
mixed value in the “greening process.” Perhaps the lowest
common denominator for “Easy Green” programs is
merely the display of interest rather than implementation
of a serious green business program. The perception of
green certification is often more important than the
policies of the company being considered for certification.
Expedience, therefore, is the default process of overstressed
businesses that cannot endure the full-blown CSR remake
of the corporate mission.
There is an obvious gap of compliance between the audited
and un-audited certification programs. The “Easy Green”
programs have seen an opening to exploit; for their part,
expedience-driven businesses have been all too willing
“The eventual emergence of
independent audits meant that the
movement was finally ready to be
accountable for participation in
meaningful change.”
to take this easy path, because the elite programs are
unattainable for the majority of businesses not in the
Fortune 500 category.
It has been said that we cannot prove what we did not
measure. Measurement is the common method of proving
any fact. What is not measured can only be called
speculation at best, and spurious at worst. In the case of
an issue that is non-controversial, such as the choice of
which gas station to frequent, measurement may seem
superfluous. The environmental issues are extremely
controversial, meaning that compliance cannot default to
merely making an effort.
While everyone looks upon greenwashing with disdain,
there has been a lack of willpower to adopt the one
unquestioned solution to this growing green hoax. An
independent audit is the obvious process to keep any
program honest. The oxymoronic concept of voluntary
compliance or self-auditing only demonstrates a stubborn
desire to avoid scrutiny, as well as a penchant toward
corner-cutting.
Certification standards
Respected compliance and certification programs provide a
clear path for green certifications to follow. We know there
must be a standard of compliance and an independent
review of compliance before a certification can be awarded.
Anything less begs for the expedient-minded firm to cut
corners, bypass systems and ultimately ignore all but
mandatory requirements.
Certification must include an established standard of
performance rather than the transitional and disjointed
programs that have filled the void until now. A nationally
recognized standard that includes audit compliance is the
sure solution to the “Easy Green” conundrum. As seen in
the LEED and ISO programs, assessment and verification
must precede a genuine certification. This is the logical
and necessary progression that other programs endeavor
to skirt in artful ways.
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 Chapter 1 Measure: Carbon Footprints White Paper Chapter 1 Measure: Carbon Footprints Case Study

ConEdison Case Study

The rise of a new green kind of professional service provides and immense, and require commitments that transcend
part of the solution. A Certified Green Consultant is a what has previously passed as compliance.
trained professional without a veiled product to sell. As a

truly independent verifier, a Certified Green Consultant
can accomplish several objectives:
1. Establish a baseline of present performance
(assessment);
2. Verify compliance though a live audit; and
3. Certify the achievement of existing standards.
These three elements are the key ingredients for
certification of any type. Short of these critical pieces,
any certification is essentially unproven and not credible.
The sheer presence of a certification infers that a standard
exists and that the company holding this certification has
honestly earned the right to display the certification. The
public trust is engendered because the overt implication is
that a review has been done as part of the process.
Without a baseline assessment and audited performance,
any certification resembles more of a membership
program. Turning a membership program into a
certification, however, will not work because the criteria
should not be about the entry fee or membership
requirements. Certification is not merely an association,
but an award based on verified performance against an
industry standard.
As we emerge from the infancy of corporate
environmental standards, the next critical step is
credibility at the public level. Years of ignorance,
carelessness and pretense must be overcome by something
more than just token efforts. The problems are pervasive
to come...
Programs offering seals and certifications must now
require serious due diligence on the part of the certification
provider. If the certification is functionally a membership
program requiring a buy-in and sign-up process, it cannot
be accepted as an endorsement of environmental assurance.
A few years from now, many of these certifications Through strategic alignment and employee engagement, the U.S. Postal Service has aligned
will cease to exist because they cannot be accepted as its sustainability efforts with its strategic and operational priorities
a business standard. Therefore, any credible program
must demonstrate the elements that are seen in other Case Study presented by David Linich, Deloitte Consulting
certifications, such as ISO, LEED or even HERS.
This review serves as a warning to all regarding the
merits of certification. Most green certifications cannot
be accepted at face value. Neither should the presence
of a slick website suffice as proof of value. Knowing that
assessment, verification and certification are the mandatory
elements of a green business certification means that
nothing less should be accepted in the marketplace.
Environmental degradation is a universal problem that
requires universal participation to solve. That participation
cannot be relegated to voluntary compliance, website
shams or self-assessed reviews stemming from varying
regional standards. There should not be a desire to remain
in the infancy stages of compliance. It is time for maturity
and responsibility on the part of those claiming to be
participants in the creation of reputable environmental and
sustainability solutions.
To view references and sources please visit
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About the Author

R. Michael Richmond is the Director of Development for the Green Business League and primary
trainer for the Certified Sustainability Officer program that trains in-house Green or Sustainability officers. The
Green Business League offers a national certification for green business that has been broadly received as a leading
standard for environmental compliance. As an avid proponent of green and sustainable business programs, Mr.
Richmond is also the co-founder of the Green Clean Institute, a training and certification organization that
specializes in janitorial and cleaning professional certification.

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