Green Business Certification Launches TRUE Zero Waste Rating System

Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), the premier organization independently recognizing excellence in green business industry performance and practice globally, has launched TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency), the new brand identity for its zero waste rating system that will help businesses and facilities define, pursue and achieve their zero waste goals through project certification and professional credentialing.

TRUE is a whole systems approach that helps organizations understand how materials flow through their facilities and identify redesign opportunities so that all products are reused. TRUE-certified projects meet a minimum of 90 percent waste diversion for 12 months from landfills, incinerators (waste-to-energy) or the environment. TRUE is administered by GBCI and serves as a compliment to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design green building rating system created by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

"By driving the adoption of green practices at all levels of business, we significantly impact greenhouse gases, manage risk and improve the health and wellbeing of employees and the community,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO of the USGBC and GBCI, in a statement. "By closing the loop on waste, organizations can become more resource efficient, discover potential new revenue streams and save money. TRUE delivers the business case for addressing waste.”

Currently, there are 88 TRUE-certified facilities located around the globe. TRUE focuses on helping businesses, industrial sectors and schools quantify their performance and find additional ways to move toward zero waste. Microsoft, Tesla, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Nature’s Path, Earth Friendly Products, Raytheon, Cintas and Northrop Grumman are some of the companies that have facilities certified under the program. The TRUE Zero Waste certification, previously administered by the U.S. Zero Waste Business Council, was acquired by GBCI in 2016.

“Our goal is to help develop a zero waste economy for all that delivers financial, environmental and social benefits,” said Stephanie Barger, director of the TRUE Zero Waste program, in a statement. “The TRUE team is working with organizations across industries to help set benchmarks, track performance, educate employees and deliver innovative solutions that move them closer to zero waste.”