Green Paper Products in New England: Understanding the Certifications (Part One)

There are over 400 registered “green” certification logos today, and all that green clutter can make it tough to understand which logos are credible. Changes made last year by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) do help – the new Green Guides require endorsements to be truthful, and advertisers must be able to prove what users can expect from products. Relationships between marketers and endorsers must also be disclosed if they would affect the ways consumers evaluate the endorsement.

The new standards are helpful, but they do little to breakdown the particulars of all the green certifications found on paper products in New England. You can find many certifications on paper products in MA, including Green-e, Green Seal, EcoLogo and more. Read on to learn more about what these certifications mean and how they affect the paper products you use.

Green-e Paper Products in New England

Through this program created by the Center for Resource Solutions, paper manufacturers can be certified if they use entirely renewable energy to create their products. The organization\’s careful auditing process ensures that manufacturers meet strict environmental standards, and its independent third party standing means they have no stake in the operations of the companies which they evaluate.

US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

The Environmental Protection Agency does not certify paper products in New England, but it does recommend green products to organizations in different industries under the Comprehensive Procurement Guideline (CPG) program. Through the CPG, the EPA promotes the use of materials recovered from solid waste, including bathroom tissue, facial tissue and paper towels made from recovered fiber and post-consumer fiber.

To learn more about other green certifications for paper towels and other paper products in New England, check out the second part of this series or contact the team at Banner Systems today at 1.800.242.1400.