Green Seal

Ecolabel details | What are the characteristics of the standard(s) related to this ecolabel?

Number of standards 31 Adapted for regional / national / local conditions Yes Standards in development 5 Standards in revision 2 Performance requirements Yes

Performance requirements: Standards are periodically revised and compliance with the revised standard is required to maintain certification.

Standards in development: GS-45 Plastic Resin Film Bags Standard, GS-48 Laundry Care Products Standard, GS-49 Residential Cleaning Services Standard, GS-50 Personal Care Product Standard, GS-C1 Sustainability Standard for Product Manufacturers Standard

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Ecolabel addresses these stages in the product's supply chain:

Supply-chain phases Mining / Extraction → Commodity Production → Processing / Manufacturing → Transportation / Logistics → Trade / Retail → End / Consumer Use → Product Recovery / Recycling

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Ecolabel addresses these environmental / social issues:

Social attributes

Cultural / Indigenous / Minority Rights, Human Rights, Labor Relations / Human Resource Policies, Training and Education, Worker Health Conditions, Work Safety

Environmental attributes

Biodiversity, Carbon / GHG Emissions, Chemicals, Energy - Production / Sources, Energy - Use / Efficiency, Forests, Material use, Natural resources, Recycling, Soil, Toxics, Waste, Water Quality, Water Use

Studies environmental / social impacts of ecolabel

Yes, we have done a study

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Mutual recognition:

Recognizes as equivalent

ECOLOGO, Environmental Choice New Zealand, Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA), Green Mark

Ecolabel development | How were the standards for this ecolabel developed?

Standard-setting norm(s) followed

ANSI Essential Requirements, ISO 14020

Standard-setting process

Open and consensus-based

External stakeholders involved in standard-setting

Companies, Consumer Associations, Customers, Experts / Consultants, Foundations, Governmental Agencies / Representatives, Industry Associations, International NGOs, Investors, Local Communities, Local NGOs, National NGOs, Producers, Research & Academic, Suppliers, Workers’ associations, unions

Conformity assessment | How is compliance with this ecolabel's standard ensured?

Conformity with Green Seal's standard is verified by our own organization (second party) following ISO / IEC Guide 65 Product Certification

Verifiers accredited

Yes, and are accredited by our organization

Frequency of ongoing audits

Scheduled (1 yr.)

Certification / registration required

Applicants are certified against the ecolabels’s criteria before using the label

Public audit / assessment reports

No

Corrective action reports issued

Yes

Corrective action reports contain mandatory action items

Yes

Chain-of-custody data

No

Duration of certification

Other

Specific metrics and data

Yes

Time to achieve certification / registration

2-3 months

Time series data

Other

Dispute resolution process

Yes

Ongoing audits / surveillance following certification

Ecolabel issuing organisation (second party)

Field site visit(s)

Yes

Public audit / assessment reports: Evaluation of products and services often involves confidential business information, some of which is not known even by the applicant (e.g., ingredient composition). The award of certification demonstrates that a product or service has met all of the criteria in the standard.

Duration of certification: Certification is for a 12-month period.

Time series data: Depends on the standard and product being manufactured.

Ongoing audits / surveillance following certification: If issues of noncompliance or potential noncompliance arise.

Managing organization | Who manages this ecolabel?

Name

Green Seal, Inc.

Type Non-profit

Address 1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 827
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
20036

Year est. 1989 Member of GEN, Other Funding sources Grants, Other

Phone +1 202 872 6400 Also manages None. Email greenseal@greenseal.org

Member of: ANSI-accredited standards developer, peer-reviewed for conformance with ISO 14024 via Global Ecolabelling Network GENICES program (no ISO accreditation for 14020 or 14024 yet).