The world's first ISO-accredited certification for carbon management professionals has been launched by the Greenhouse Gas Management Institute (GHGMI) and Eco-Canada. The Environmental Professional Certification on Greenhouse Gases, or ISO 17024, will be available both to quantifiers (those who measure emissions for an inventory or emissions reduction project) and to verifiers (those who confirm whether a given GHG inventory has met established criteria), GreenBiz has reported.
Draft sustainability standards for cell phones have been released by UL Environment, a unit of Underwriters Laboratories, Sustainable Business reports. UL is developing the UL ISR 110 standard for "environmentally preferable" phones together with representatives from industry and non-profits. The standard evaluates materials in the phone, its energy consumption, packaging, recycling options, the network the phone operates on and other factors. It will take a tiered approach, with exceptional products receiving platinum certification. Samsung's Replenish line of mobile phones is the first to announce completion of the UL Environment pilot program, having earned Platinum certification under the interim requirements. UL has also released a white paper, "The Life Cycle of Materials in Mobile Phones," available here.
Standard-setter NSF International has developed an official national standard for sustainable commercial furnishing fabrics. NSF/ANSI 336 will be available for a variety of materials: woven, non-woven, bonded and knitted fabrics used for upholstery (e.g. office and hotel furniture), as well as vertical fabrics (e.g. drapery, panel system fabrics) and decorative top of bed applications (e.g. bedspreads) that are commonly used in institutional, hospitality and office settings. The standard’s criteria will include fiber sourcing, water, energy use, and recycling practices, measured across the entire product lifespan, with total scores determining certification as compliant, silver, gold or platinum.
ENXSUITE has launched PowerNet, a collaborative Web-based hub for creating and tracking sustainability projects as well as developing financial impact reports. This news follows the company’s announcement last week that it has partnered with environmental data provider Trucost to integrate extensive sustainability data into its platform, allowing businesses to benchmark their environmental data against organizations around the world.
