Draft recommendation

Standards
for Green Products and
Materials
Sub-Committee

Prepared for the: San Diego Regional Sustainability Partnership (SDSRP)

Green Products and Materials Sub-Committee
 Contents

• Definition of Sustainability in relation to product

recommendations
• Recommended Stances from the Committee
• Standards Processes
• SDSRP Green Products and Materials Meta-Standards:
Part 1
• SDSRP Green Products and Materials Meta-Standards:
Part 2
• Consumer perception of products
• Criteria Prioritization Matrix
• Criteria Prioritization Matrix: Applied
 Sustainability
Triple-Bottom Line Definition

• Environment
• Metric: Footprint (CO2, distance/source,
Local/Non-local, Lifecycle, Recyclability)
• Economics
• Metric: Cost (short term, long term), Product
Quality
• Equity
• Metric: Need (Market Sector: Low, Medium,
 Stances from the
Committee
• Should not endorse particular products or
services. Instead, should promote generalized
products or services.
• Disclosure of “endorsement” should be made
transparent to both consumers and industry.
• Independent and transparent testing standards.
• Decisions from which particular market sector the
committee should work on are from most
impactful standards and impactful products in the
marketplace.
• Committee should adapt standards which relate
to recommending products across all market
segments.
 Standard Processes
• Holistic Standards can be used to
give rationale to why certain product
or services deserve such ratings.
• Holistic Standards can be addressed
by simplifying the essence of the
scientific testing protocols to
something which an educated
consumer can easily understand.

Testing Standard Holistic

 SDRSP Green Products Meta-
Standards
Existing Existing
Standards Standards
Su
Considerati cr b
ite
ons ia ria
b r
•What existing standards Su rite
(such as Green Seal, Fair
Trade) mention in their c
standards of how they rate
certain criteria regarding BASE
these 3 constituents of our
rating system. Standards
Equit
y
•Depending on product
category or industry, sub-
criteria constituents change
as the industry changes. In
order to ensure industry
compliance, analysis of
existing industry standards
will be made in order to
comply with the SDRSP
BASE Standards.

Existing
Standards
SDRSP Green Products Meta-
Standards•Using Existing Standards
(Green seal, Made in USA,
Fairtrade) and how can be
put together to create a
much larger standard which
can better encompasses the
definition of sustainability.

•What existing standards

(such as Green Seal, Fair
BASE Trade) mention in their
Standards standards of how they rate
Equit
y certain criteria regarding
these 3 constituents of our
rating system.

•Depending on product
category or industry, sub-
criteria constituents change
as the industry changes. In
order to ensure industry
compliance, analysis of
existing industry standards
 Consumer Perception of
Products
•Certain consumers may feel that certain sustainable
products are not useful due to the main consideration of
cost.

•Through the rating system, hopefully consumers will feel

that products that they perceive are luxuries will somehow
become necessities as being part of their buying regimen.
Consumers can than account for the Short term and long
Average
Consumer
Low Income Middle-Class
“Rich”
Necessity
Luxury
Low Price
High Price
Low Quality
High Quality
Actual Perceived
Sustainability Sustainability
Product Spectrum
 Criteria Prioritization Matrix
Rationale

Sustainable
Sustainable
•Consumers and business alike
need to have the ability to make
informed decisions about the
purchase of sustainable
products and materials.
•Factors such as Need (Equity),
Environment (Sustainable), and
Cost (economics) should be
considered as being part of that Not needed
decision. Needed
•This standard will be created
through aggregation from
industry or organization specific st+
standards (1 entity) and Co st -
creating a much more Co
generalized standard for more
overall understanding (Multiple-

Not-
entities)
•Products which attain optimal
characteristics for Need,
Sustainability, and Cost should
 Criteria Prioritization Matrix
Applied (Cont.)
Environment: 7
•Benefits: Saves approximately 75% compared an incandescent
lightbulb.
•Product Quality: Lasts up to 10 times longer
•Contains Mercury. Hazardous if not properly disposed. Would
attain a better rating if it contained less mercury than average.

Economics: 10
•Benefits: Affordable (approximately $0.50 each) to a wide range
of audiences.
•Financial incentive programs to save energy.
•High Return on Investment.

Equity: 10
•Needed by all consumers.

Compact Fluorescent Idealized Standards

Light bulbs
•Actually Sustainable
•Demonstrated Cost Savings
•Produced Locally with wide-range
perception as being a necessity.
 Sample
Inadequacies
In the Green Seal
Standard
Justification: WEAK

Green Seal: Reusable Utility

Bags

Green Standards Definition

of
-Specific Category Product
Definition Environmen
-Environmental tal
Requirements Requiremen
•Strong and
Durable Labeling
•Minimum lifetime Requireme
of 300 uses nt

Q: Can such guidelines be the basis

For recommending Green Products?
 Green Seal: Alternative Fuel
Vehicles

Criteria Faults
•Runs on either Natural Gas or Electrically- •Does not account for
generated power. source
•Gasoline purchases must not exceed 15% of •Sustainability of fuels
the vehicle(s) mile(s) driven. •Nothing
•Must include maintenance to keep each vehicle Environmentally
at optimum efficiency. Beneficially in terms of
•Must comply with local emission tests (CARB
 Questions
• What really makes products “Green?”
• Will it matter if products are
“Greenwashed” or not?
• Should products take into consideration
the true triple-bottom line definition of
sustainability?
• Will considerations of recommendations
for a wide-range of audiences be
needed?
• How can the committees decided
stance and recommendations be made
transparent to both industry and the