Dive Brief:
- ClimeCo, a global environmental and decarbonization solutions company, launched a sustainable product certification program that will allow corporations to show consumers how their sustainability efforts and impact connect to their products.
- The ClimeCo Certified Product Program aims to help companies communicate their environmental initiatives — ranging from their emissions reduction, carbon removal or offsets projects — to consumers effectively, according to a Tuesday release. ClimeCo said the certifications will also help consumers make informed decisions about what they purchase.
- ClimeCo’s program is a rebranded and updated version of the CarbonFree Product Certification, an offering of the Carbonfund.org Foundation, which sold some commercial assets to ClimeCo in 2022. The CarbonFree certification will be phased out and ClimeCo’s program will assume oversight of its over 5000 previously certified products and registered companies.
Dive Insight:
ClimeCo expects the oversight transition to be completed by the second quarter of 2025, per the release. ClimeCo said new applicants will only be considered for the ClimeCo Certified Product Program.
The certification program’s protocol is built on global product life-cycle assessment standards and carbon neutrality claims. The protocol “aligns with regulations, market trends, and stakeholder input,” and joins the company’s vast suite of environmental solutions offerings, per a release.
Companies planning to attain a product certification must submit a life-cycle assessment of the products they want to register; determine and apply measures that can reduce the carbon footprint of these products; and support projects globally that mitigate and reduce carbon emissions, through carbon removal initiatives or purchasing carbon offsets, according to ClimeCo.
The certification launch comes as consumers are increasingly seeking information on the environmental impact of the products they buy, but struggling to differentiate between genuine corporate sustainability efforts and greenwashing.
A recent report from PricewaterhouseCoopers, which surveyed 20,000 consumers across 31 countries and territories, found that 85% of respondents are prioritizing sustainability in their consumption practices due to experiencing a detrimental impact of climate change in their lives. Further, 46% of these respondents said they were purchasing more sustainable products in an effort to reduce their environmental footprint.
“Consumers and businesses alike have never been more driven to make positive changes and help in the critical mission of protecting the planet, but many are intimidated by the process, unsure how to get started or confused by competing claims” ClimeCo President and CEO Bill Flederbach said in the release. “The [program] is perfect for companies that want to demonstrate their leadership and prove to consumers that their products are environmentally responsible.”
