Research has shown that 62% of consumers in Australia would pay more for products that are environmentally sustainable. To make the decision about which product to buy, we often look for proof of a company’s pro climate or environment actions.  

It’s no surprise, then, that it’s a common thing to see certifications on websites and products advertising a company’s environmental or ‘green’ status. There is almost no business activity or industry that hasn’t got some form of sustainability or ethical practice certification available – and many of them we are very familiar with.  

Environmental certifications exist to rate everything from overall business activities (e.g. B Corp certified), equipment and building performance (e.g. Energy Star Ratings, LEED - Leadership in energy and environmental design), carbon status (e.g NoC02 certification, Climate Active certification), ethical trade (e.g. Fairtrade certification, Rainforest Alliance certification), tourism (e.g., ECO certification), protection of the environment and/or animals in manufacture (e.g. Vegan Australia certified, Cruelty Free International ‘Leaping Bunny’ accreditation, Rainforest Alliance certification, RSPA approved farming certification), protection of consumer health (e.g. Global Green Tag, GECA). 

That sounds good, right? Unfortunately, with Choice magazine reporting that there are 57 different sustainability labels and certifications in Australia alone, these certifications can just as often lead to confusion and the potential for greenwashing as provide quality information to the public. So, how do you determine which labels are genuine and relevant? 

One of the best ways to assess the legitimacy of a certification is to check who is behind it. If it is third-party regulated and audited (say, by a government agency or a not-for-profit), that’s a good sign. Certifications that are business-led can be less reliable as there may be bias or have financial conflicts.  

The next thing is to look at what the certification stands for and what it is certifying. For example: does it match your values; is it relevant to the function of the business or product or is it something tangential that just makes them look good? It is not uncommon to see a big badge on a product that makes an overall product look sustainable, but just says something minor or irrelevant like the packaging contains 10% recycled paper.  

If you can take a deep dive into the certification, it is also worth assessing the certification process – are strict standards applied to the certification? what is required of the business both in terms of their business activities and any financial investment? Has it been developed by experts in the relevant industry? Has been verified to do what it says it does? All of these questions will help you determine the credibility of the certification.  

You may also find some products have more than one certification – for example a product might have an Australian Certified Organic certification as well as a Forest Stewardship Council certification for their packaging – that’s even better. 

Helpfully, there are good resources (like this one) on the web that analyse the ‘green’ certifications, so you can get to know which ones to look for. In particular, Choice magazine has a detailed summary of 17 reliable Australian certifications which is a really good reference.  

This all might seem like hard work, but unfortunately (or fortunately!), as the consumer, we hold a lot of power and, as we all know, with great power comes great responsibility.  

Planet Ark does not take responsibility for the accuracy of the original information and encourages readers to check the references before using this information for their own purposes.