Green Policies, Regulations & Standards

Sustainable Forestry Initiative Certification is a voluntary forest certification system focused primarily on North America, with relevance in global forest product supply chains. SFI standards cover forest management, fiber sourcing, and chain of custody. Chain-of-Custody certification allows companies to track and communicate how much of a product comes from certified lands, certified fiber sourcing, recycled content, or non-certified forest content. SFI requirements are independently audited by certification bodies. SFI is voluntary unless required by buyers, procurement, contracts, or sourcing policies. It does not replace forestry law, timber legality rules, EUDR due diligence, CITES, land rights law or green claims regulation.

GreenScreen Certified is a voluntary global product certification focused on safer chemicals. Developed by Clean Production Action, it evaluates product ingredients using the GreenScreen for Safer Chemicals method and screens products against PFAS and thousands of other chemicals of great concern. It applies to categories such as textile chemicals, cleaners and degreasers, food service ware, firefighting foam, furniture and fabrics. The certification is useful for safer chemistry procurement, PFAS avoidance, and chemical footprint reduction. It does not replace chemical regulation, product safety rules, worker safety law, wastewater requirements or green claims regulation.

UL GREENGUARD Certification is a voluntary product certification for low chemical emissions from products used in indoor environments. It verifies that products meet criteria for low emissions and can contribute to cleaner indoor air. GREENGUARD Gold has stricter requirements, including very low formaldehyde emissions, and is often used for schools, healthcare and sensitive indoor settings. GREENGUARD is relevant for building materials, furniture, finishes, interiors and sustainable procurement. It is voluntary unless required by buyers, green building projects, public procurement, real estate policies or contracts. It does not replace building codes, product safety, chemical regulation, occupational exposure rules or green claims law.

BPI Compostable Certification is a voluntary commercial compostability certification for products and packaging, primarily in North America. Operated by the Biodegradable Products Institute, it verifies that products meet ASTM compostability standards. BPI uses ASTM D6400 as the base standard for all certification assessments, with optional ASTM D6868 and/or ASTM D8410 assessment for eligible items. The certification covers products, packaging, resins, and intermediates and supports third-party verification through BPI’s public product catalog. It is voluntary unless required by composters, municipalities, buyers, retailers or contracts. It does not replace state labeling laws, packaging regulation, food-contact rules, facility acceptance or green claims law.

WaterSense is a voluntary U.S. EPA labeling program for water-efficient products, homes and professional certification programs. WaterSense-labeled products meet EPA specifications for water efficiency and performance and are backed by independent third-party certification. WaterSense-labeled homes must be verified by trained WaterSense home verifiers and certified by EPA-approved Home Certification Organizations. The label is relevant to plumbing products, housing, utilities, procurement, and water conservation. WaterSense is voluntary unless required by buyers, public procurement, rebate programs, green building systems, or local conservation initiatives. It does not replace plumbing codes, building codes, product safety rules, appliance standards, or water utility requirements.

Rainforest Alliance Certification is a voluntary global agricultural certification program for farms and supply-chain companies. Its standards, assurance system, and traceability tools help companies manage supply-chain risks and track certified commodities from farm to consumer. Certification applies to agricultural commodities such as coffee, cocoa, tea, bananas and other crops. The program includes farm and supply-chain requirements, certification platform processes and trademark controls. Rainforest Alliance Certification is voluntary unless required by buyers, retailers, procurement, contracts or sourcing policies. It does not replace farming, labor, pesticide, food safety, deforestation, EUDR, customs or green claims laws.

RSPO Certification is a voluntary global certification system for sustainable palm oil. It includes production standards for growers and supply-chain requirements for companies handling RSPO-certified oil palm products. RSPO Standards set mandatory requirements for the production and procurement of RSPO Certified Sustainable Palm Oil, while the 2020 RSPO Supply Chain Certification Standard controls certified product handling and claims. RSPO is voluntary unless required by buyers, retailers, procurement, contracts or sourcing policies. It does not replace plantation law, labor law, land rights law, environmental permits, EUDR due diligence, customs rules or consumer protection law.

Fairtrade Certification is a voluntary global certification and label system for producers, traders and businesses handling Fairtrade products. Fairtrade Standards set social, economic and environmental requirements for sustainable farming, decent work and fair trading relations. Certification may apply to producer organizations, hired labor settings, contract production and traders, with product-specific rules and traceability requirements. Fairtrade is voluntary unless required by buyers, retailers, public procurement, contracts or sourcing policies. It does not replace labor law, food safety, agricultural regulation, pesticide rules, customs requirements, deforestation due diligence or consumer protection law.

Bonsucro Certification is a voluntary global certification system for sustainable sugarcane production and sugarcane-derived product supply chains. It uses the Bonsucro Production Standard and Chain of Custody Standard to verify environmental and social sustainability performance, certified supply-chain controls, and claims. The Production Standard applies worldwide to sugarcane mills and supplying areas that want to sell sugarcane-derived products as Bonsucro certified. Bonsucro is voluntary unless required by buyers, contracts, procurement, biofuel markets or sourcing policies. It does not replace agricultural law, labor law, environmental permits, food safety, biofuel regulation, customs rules, or green claims laws.

Better Cotton Certification is a voluntary global certification and chain-of-custody system for more sustainable cotton. The Better Cotton Principles and Criteria set producer requirements, while the Chain of Custody Standard connects certified cotton supply to market demand and supports claim integrity. Better Cotton is moving toward stronger certification and traceability, and after May 2026, new products may only carry its label if they contain certified, traceable BCI Cotton. The system is voluntary unless required by buyers, retailers, contracts, procurement, or sourcing policies. It does not replace agricultural, labor, pesticide, textile labeling, customs or consumer protection laws.