Our Standard Development Process
We develop our science-based standards through an open, transparent process that prioritizes public and stakeholder input .
Principles
- Market acceptance
- Technical excellence
- Transparency
- Openness
- Substantial agreement
Procedure
- Public notification
- Balanced participation of stakeholders
- Criteria development
- Public comment and stakeholder consultation
- Addressing substantive opposition
- Response to comments
- Standard issuance
For more details on our process, download Green Seal’s Standards Manual
.
To browse standards records, visit the Library of Standards Documents
.
Standard Revision Process
We review most standards every three to five years. In some cases, standards require updates to account for changes in the market and emerging science. We may also conduct more focused revisions to resolve minor issues in the standards. Examples include expanding the scope, updating lists of prohibited substances, resolving difficulties, or clarifying requirements. We always solicit public comments for the proposed changes to our standards.
See standards currently under revision here .
Life Cycle Approach
When we develop a standard, we consider the health and environmental impacts of the product across all stages of its life cycle, from raw material selection to manufacturing, packaging, use, and disposal. This means Green Seal certified products meet truly comprehensive health and sustainability standards, from beginning to end.
An Open, Transparent Process
We believe that a collaborative approach leads to better solutions for everyone. We develop our science-based standards through an open, transparent process that prioritizes public and stakeholder input.
International Best Practices
We base our standard development procedures on internationally recognized best practices, as described in ISEAL’s Standard Setting Code (2014). This ISEAL code is our primary guide for conducting a transparent process and developing outcomes-focused standards.
Our standard development procedures have been reviewed by third parties and found to meet the guidelines of two standards of the International Organization for Standardization:
- ISO 14020: Environmental Labels and Declarations – General Principles
- ISO 14024: Environmental Labels and Declarations – Type I Environmental Labelling – Principles and Procedures
These two standards prescribe the goals, considerations, and procedures for voluntary (not regulatory) environmental labeling programs. We have demonstrated conformance to these standards.
Other Guidelines
Our standard development procedures also meet the requirements for credible ecolabels from the following organizations:
