- Fines, bad press, and lost trust – the cost of not being able to back up your eco claims
- New powers given to governing bodies to stamp out greenwashing that could not only cost you in reputation but 10% of your global turnover
- Working with product suppliers who have certifications Like B Corp and Global Recycled Standard can help you to protect your brand from the pitfalls
These days, sustainability is everywhere — and rightly so. But for businesses and brands, talking the talk isn’t enough anymore. You can’t sit back, copy and paste the exaggerated green claims your product suppliers gave you about your promotional giveaways. You’ve got to be able to back them up because it isn’t their reputation and profit on the line, it’s yours.
That’s where greencertifications like the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) and B Corp certifications are becoming increasingly important for your event product suppliers to have, so that you can be reassured about what you are being told. Here we look at how choosing good product suppliers for your events is no longer just a moral issue, it’s a commercial one.
Let’s start with what B Corp and GRS Certifications are
B Corp is a movement, created for companies that want to use business as a force for good. They are a collective of commercial entities that want to actively balance people, the planet, and profit in the way they do business. They are committed to constantly looking for ways to improve and reduce their impact, and to become B Corp Certified, they have to prove that with actions and not just words.
To achieve B Corp certification, businesses have to have undertaken a stringent, evidence-based process to prove how they operate in meeting the set criteria to qualify. B Corp isn’t perfect. Recently, it has come under scrutiny itself. This is due to some of the businesses that have been certified being deemed as questionable for their publicly criticised practices. As a response to this, the process and criteria have been revised recently to take an even deeper dive to make sure B Corp doesn’t lose credibility and meaning.
The Global Recycled Standard (GRS) is a trusted international certification. It is a transparency marker that verifies whether a product contains the recycled materials it claims. That includes being made in a way that is socially and environmentally responsible from start to finish. Those looking to be certified must know with absolute certainty where the material has been at every touchpoint of the manufacturing journey of a product, to be able to verify how much recycled content is in the final product.
Why it matters now more than ever
The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) are cracking down on companies that make vague or misleading environmental claims — widely known as greenwashing. If your business or brand is caught making claims that you cannot prove, you (not your supplier) could face fines, public naming and shaming, and serious reputational damage.
That’s a headache no business wants.
Making sure you work with B Corp and GRS Certified product suppliers like Justgood means you have the reassurance of independent, third-party proof that your merchandise product’s green claims are legit. It protects you, builds trust with your recipients, and shows the world you’re doing the right thing, not just saying it. Not only that, Justgood goes even further with a SEDEX registration.
That means they only work with suppliers who have been through an independent auditing process to prove they are doing the good things they say they are. Only factories that are ethical employers with good working conditions can qualify and be recommended by SEDEX.
It’s not just about avoiding risk — it’s about doing better
“Sustainability is a journey and not a destination. You have to continually work to do better. Certifications like B Corp and GRS helped us validate what we are doing, whilst pushing us to want to do better,” said Amy Briggs of Justgood. “For our clients, it offers reassurance and confidence in the products we make for them, because the certifications provide transparency and reduce their risk.”
Making good choices
In a market where everyone wants to be ‘green,’ verifying those claims is more important than ever. Choosing the right supplier to support you is the first step. That can start with asking the right questions, like providing audit trails or compliance certifications for their products, getting them to confirm the country of origin, and the product’s material content breakdown. A supplier that isn’t being truthful about their claims will struggle to give direct answers on these questions.
Author: Adam Parry
Adam is the co-founder and editor of www.eventindustrynews.com Adam, a technology evangelist also organises Event Tech Live, Europe’s only show dedicated to event technology and the Event Technology Awards. Both events take place in November, London.
