You’ve conducted a Life Cycle Assessment and now you want to legitimize your findings further by hanging them on a benchmark standard.  Which ones do you pay attention to, the ones that are getting the most press because their marketing campaign budget is a winner or the ones that are credible for their science and their multi-stakeholder formation, i.e. the ones with global legs?

If you’re smart, you’ll dump any standard that doesn’t REQUIRE an ISO LCA or LCIS (Life Cycle Impact Statement) or has an EPD (Environmental Product Declaration). You’ll also dump any that don’t REQUIRE a third party auditor who can de-certify non-compliant products after the original certification. Anyone can look good for the first year, it’s being consistent over many years and around the globe that will create public trust in the standard label.

In Standard-land there are “single attribute standards” such as Energy Star (low energy consumption) and single industry standards such as FSC (Forest Stewardship Council – forest management) and then there are multi-industry and attribute standards such as SMaRT or SCS.

Some argue that multi-attribute and industrial standards are too broad, that they can’t really focus in on the issues pertaining to a single sector such as food or textiles. Or the other side of that argument is poor buyer who has to figure out which standard out of 300 or so is worth considering. How does the SMaRT Platinum rated office chair compare to BIFMA’s rating compared to C2C’s rating?

For the above reason the Sustainability Consortium is trying to sort it out letting science tell the tale as to which standard is the most comprehensive and best for the world to follow.

Meanwhile, the cost of waiting for the top dog standard to emerge distracts from your market position. What do you say when your buyer asks you why you aren’t certified to XYZ Standard that she just read about in the NY Times?

Your sales force will have that answer without flinching if:

1. Educate them on what Sustainable Standards are and are not, m ake them fluent in “attributes” and how standards are created and know the difference between a Type I and Type II certification.

2. Determine which standards are the top contenders in your sector and do your own cross-comparison using the List found on Green Building Pages, Green Format or the ASTM E2129-05. Do three comparison’s at a minimum. If you have the due diligence done to show your buyer, they won’t have to do it and you just took a big step forward.

3. Using your Life Cycle Assessment information, show how you stack up if you were benchmarked on any of the standards. Don’t fudge, address ALL the questions. This isn’t about advertising your best assets, it’s about being transparent in your all practices throughout your supply chain.

Lastly – don’t overwhelm your buyer with your new-found knowledge. If you give them a checklist spread sheet (just like what you see on the back of a software package) it will help them make a decision in under 30 seconds. If you ask them to read pages of collateral you will send down a rabbit hole of confusion vs. closer to closing.

]]> http://www.ecolutionaryselling.com/2010/02/21/testing-standards-and-certifications/feed/ 2 http://www.ecolutionaryselling.com/2010/01/17/whats-your-eco-statement/ http://www.ecolutionaryselling.com/2010/01/17/whats-your-eco-statement/#comments Mon, 18 Jan 2010 05:16:17 +0000 Ecolutionary Selling http://www.ecolutionaryselling.com/?p=230 Part 2 of 16 Things for a Green Sales Edge.

Pop quiz – you’re sitting in front of your client and they ask, “What’s your environmental policy”? Can you:

A) Quote them the mission statement?

B) Point them to the website that has it and more published?

C) Be so well versed that you’re able to talk about in terms of manufacturing, installation and use of the product, what happens at the end of the product’s life and what your company’s social profile?

The sales force at Forbo Flooring can do all of the above, their Marmoleum flooring is the poster product for sustainable floors. I’ve been tracking “Marmoleum” on Google alerts for about a year to see what people are willing to write about it. Almost every one is praising the product and they often mention a sustainable attribute along with the color they selected. That’s great sales at work, AFTER the sale.

Go here to download Forbo’s Sustain brochure. (top left corner) Then use it as a base to develop  your own environmental policy statement and brochure.