SGS recently launched its SGS Green Mark — the latest in the company’s solutions for brands, manufacturers and retailers looking to meet rising consumer demand for greener products.
TW Special Report
By launching the SGS Green Mark to enable brands, manufacturers, suppliers and retailers to meet rising consumer demand for greener products and services, SGS — a testing, inspection and certification company — has extended its portfolio of sustainability services.
Developed by SGS experts in consultation with industry leaders, the SGS Green Mark comprises seven single attribute claims, making it the most diverse environmental claim certification and verification scheme on the market.
As governments and regulators around the world look to scrutinize and tackle greenwashing, more and more companies are seeking third-party verification and certification of their environmental actions to demonstrate the validity of their materials and processes in the manufacturing and supply of a wide range of products from garments, fabrics, food service ware and plastic packaging to data cables, electronics and furniture.
Utilizing the SGS logo, which is recognized around the world, the SGS Green Mark demonstrates compliance with pre-defined standards relating to the following seven environmental attributes:
- Hazardous substance assessed;
- Recycled content;
- PFAS-assessed;
- Biobased;
- PVC-free;
- Industrial compostable; and
- Biodegradability.
Products are independently assessed in accordance with recognized standards and a technical review is conducted by an industry specialist to confirm the product claim is scientifically justified. Once compliance has been confirmed through rigorous assessment within SGS’s global network of laboratories, a product can display the fully traceable SGS Green Mark. This mark shows details of the environmental claim and assessment standard(s). It also displays a QR code to give consumers access to further information that verifies the claim’s authenticity.
Keith Hutchinson, deputy head, Connectivity & Products Global Certification at SGS, said: “We are extremely proud to launch the SGS Green Mark, driven by customers’ needs to build consumer trust, and are already progressing plans to extend the portfolio of seven attributes.
“For consumers, the single attribute claim makes it easier to understand and to align purchases more easily with their sustainability requirements. For businesses, it simplifies the process by making it more focused while helping to minimize the risk of greenwashing.”
Following the company’s piloting of the scheme, a range of companies from electronic and textile sectors have already gained the SGS Green Mark with consumers now benefiting from products displaying the SGS logo and QR code.
Eric Wang, Global Deputy Technical head, Softlines at SGS, said: “It is heartening to see our certification increasingly relied upon by manufacturers, brands and retailers to demonstrate the sustainability of their products and supply chains. Ultimately the SGS Green Mark enables a growing tide of environmentally conscious consumers to be better informed on the impacts of their purchases and to make greener choices.”
Charles Ly Wa Hoi, executive vice president, Connectivity & Products and Health & Nutrition, SGS, said: “We anticipate that the SGS Green Mark, with its independent third-party assessment,will become a market leading solution for environmentally responsible organizations around the world. As a recognized industry megatrend, sustainability remains at the heart of SGS’s vision and is expected to be a key driver to accelerate corporate growth and build even greater trust amongst clients and consumers over the coming decades.”
The SGS Green Mark
The SGS Green Mark supports businesses and brands striving to enhance their sustainability effort and respond to rising consumer demands for greener products and services.
Based on recognized standards such as ISO/IEC 17065, ISO/IEC 17029, ISO 14065 and ISO 14021, the SGS Green Mark verifies that products have passed a range of assessments to meet specific and quantifiable environmental attributes and claims.
Customer Testimonials
“We are proud to have gained an SGS Green Mark for our innovative Magnif-ECO® recycled fiber. This signifies another step towards establishing a global reputation as a socially responsible company at the cutting edge of sustainable textile innovation.” — Arch Textiles Manufacture Corp.
“The SGS Green Mark (Hazardous Substance Assessed) certification of all OLED products for laptops in 2023 is a great achievement in the development of our eco-friendly technology and will provide consumers with better choices.” — Samsung Display
May 30 2024
