Sustainable Certifications Can Level Up Your Marketing
Green certifications help your company stand out from the crowd.
Sustainable certifications are certifications that businesses can receive from third party organizations to validate how their company is doing better for the environment. There’s an estimated 32.5 million small businesses in the US, all of which are vying for marketing space. Getting a green certification can really set you apart from other companies, especially competitors in your industry.
According to the 2021 Global Sustainability Study, sustainability is rated as an important purchase criteria for 60 percent of global consumers. In the US, this number is 61 percent. On top of that, one third of customers are willing to pay a premium for sustainable products. Sustainability is becoming the norm, not just a trend.
Green certifications not only show your company’s commitment to the environment, but they can help you avoid greenwashing: Marketing that oversells your company and says you’re doing more for the planet than you actually are. Yikes! Making exaggerated (and therefore deceptive) claims about your brand's activities can lead to mistrust with customers.
Even companies that greenwash unintentionally are preventing consumers from understanding the impacts of their purchasing decisions as they struggle to differentiate between valid and invalid claims. Greenwashing can slow down sustainability efforts by making people skeptical of environmental initiatives, and may cause consumers to lose trust in your brand.
Your marketing should reflect your company’s values and accurately tell the story of how your business affects the planet. The best way to prove that your company’s sustainable practices are substantiated is to get green business certifications. Certification processes dive deep into a company’s environmental impact. If you have sustainability credentials, they should be highlighted in your marketing efforts to help you stand out from the crowd.
Here are some of the top sustainable certifications that businesses can receive:
Green Certifications
B Corp certifies companies, giving them a B Corp certification only if they achieve a minimum score on the B Impact Assessment. This assessment looks at a company’s impact on its workers, the environment, community, and customers.
There are only 170 marketing agencies in the United States that are B Corps, and we’ve just submitted our application to become one! For comparison, there are over 3,800 certified B Corps around the world.
This certification can apply to clothing, food, and beverage companies. Fair Trade Certification requires all companies to uphold standards that include “income sustainability, community and individual well-being, empowerment, and environmental stewardship.” This also includes requirements surrounding worker’s rights, fair labor, and sustainable land management.
This certification can be awarded to companies that make food, beverages, textiles, and personal care products. There are strict requirements for the types of fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides that are allowed to be used on the crops that are utilized to make food, beverage, textile, or personal care products.
The Non-GMO Project certifies food, beverages, and personal care products that have GMO free ingredients. They verify that all the ingredients in products are GMO free, which includes testing of ingredients that might be cross-contaminated.
Personal care, food, and beverage companies can receive this certification, along with tourism businesses and brands that make forestry products. The Rainforest Alliance Certification Seal means that a business’s operations support the forest, climate, and human health, rights, and livelihoods.
Any business can be a 1% for the Planet member. According to 1% for the Planet, they were founded to: “prevent greenwashing, certify reputable giving and provide accountability. The 1% for the Planet certification is given to businesses and individuals that meet our high-bar commitment—donate 1% of annual sales or salary to environmental causes”.
This certification applies to wineries or vineyards that have sustainable winemaking and growing standards. Their practices must be environmentally responsible in order to protect people and the planet.
Regenerative Organic Certified
This is a newer certification for food, personal care, and textile companies. It’s difficult to obtain this certification, but those who do will meet the highest standards in the world for soil health, farmworker fairness, and animal welfare.
Companies that make cosmetics and household products can receive this certification. It means that not only are final products not tested on animals, but no ingredient, formulation, or product from a third-party supplier is either.
OEKO-TEX has numerous certifications that can be obtained by any company that makes textiles or leather goods, if they meet the high standards. A company with a OEKO-TEX certification is safe, environmentally friendly, and manufactures their products in a socially responsible way.
Any business over a year old can work to receive this certification. Even companies without physical products have a carbon footprint. Climate neutral helps large, small, and midsize businesses assess their carbon emissions and then offset them.
Are Certifications Worth It?
Certifications can help you avoid greenwashing and put your company’s best foot forward, but they can be a lot of work to obtain, and can get expensive. B Corp status costs $1,000-$50,000 per year for an annual certification fee, depending on a company's yearly sales. 1% for the Planet members pay $200 to enroll, plus an annual fee that ranges from $300-$140,000 depending on the income of their business, although the annual fee does count toward their 1% for the Planet commitment. Having multiple certifications can get expensive, especially for smaller businesses or companies just starting out.
But What if My Business Isn’t Ready to be Certified?
If you’re unable or not ready to get a certification, it’s still important to be as transparent as possible with your customers. One way to do this is by releasing a Corporate Social Responsibility Report (CSR) to disclose your internal policies and practices. A CSR would paint a larger, more in-depth picture about the way your company views social and environmental issues, as well as any programs or initiatives you support and goals you have for your company, along with the status of each goal.
Corporate Responsibility Reports are marketable! You can share them on your social media platforms and website, and show your customers that you care about the environment. Not being able to get certifications shouldn’t stand in the way of connecting more authentically with your audience about your company’s impact on the planet.
Market Accordingly
Regardless of whether or not you have a green business certification or a CSR, you can look to the Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guide for support with your marketing efforts. The Green Guides are designed to help marketers avoid making environmental claims that mislead consumers. They provide guidance on:
General principles that apply to all environmental marketing claims
How consumers are likely to interpret particular claims and how marketers can substantiate these claims
How marketers can qualify their claims to avoid deceiving consumers
For more professional support, reach out to a team of experts—like us! Fearless Foundry can help small businesses navigate the challenges that come with accurately marketing their green business practices. There’s nothing we love more than getting to help companies market transparently and share their sustainability practices with their customers.