Good Housekeeping Magazine just released the first-ever products to earn the “Green Good Housekeeping Seal” in the appliance and paper categories, helping consumers take steps towards a greener lifestyle. Among the products earning the Green Seal include: Scott Naturals Bath Tissue, Bissell’s Little Green and Pampers Cruisers.
According to Good Housekeeping, the overwhelming clutter of “green” claims all over today’s market makes it hard for consumers to tell which products they should be choosing. That is why scientists and engineers at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute created The Green Good Housekeeping Seal – an extension of the brand’s long-trusted primary Seal— to help people make greener choices. Products are evaluated based on specific criteria including: the reduction of water use in manufacturing; packaging reduction; and the brand’s corporate social responsibility. Members of Good Housekeeping’s Environmental Advisory Board include: An Inconvenient Truth producer Laurie David, and author & TV personality (Discovery’s Planet Green), Steve Thomas.
Bissell’s Little Green, Miele’s entire S5 and S6 series, Pampers Cruisers, Scott Naturals Bath Tissue, and TENA Women Underwear Super Plus and TENA Serenity Overnight Pads, are the newest products to be awarded the prestigious Seal from Good Housekeeping Magazine.
Consumers have looked toGood Housekeeping for trusted advice for more than 125 years. The magazine has crusaded for food, toy, and pool safety, warned readers about flammability risks in Halloween costumes, children’s sleepwear, and kids’ rain coats, and called out manufacturer deceptions related to thread counts in bedding, environmental claims about bamboo textiles, and calorie counts in snack foods. In 2009, the magazine introduced the Green Good Housekeeping Seal (GGHS), an environmental extension of the brand’s primary Seal, the most recognized consumer icon in America, to offer consumers guidance in a marketplace saturated with green claims. For more than three years, the scientists and engineers at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute, the magazine’s state-of-the-art product testing laboratory, have worked with Brown & Wilmanns Environmental, one of the nation’s leading green consultants, as well as an Environmental Advisory Board, to establish criteria for the Green Good Housekeeping Seal. The first four category applications finalized were Beauty, Cleaning, Paint and Coatings, and Food products. Today, the first products to earn the Green Good Housekeeping Seal in the Appliances and Electronics and Paper Goods categories were announced: Bissell Little Green, Miele S5 and S6 Vacuums, Pampers Cruisers, Scott Naturals Bath Tissue, TENA Women Underwear Super Plus, and TENA Serenity Overnight Pads.
Before being considered for the GGHS, a product must pass Good Housekeeping Research Institute evaluations for the primary Good Housekeeping Seal, which means it is effective and covered by the magazine’s limited warranty: If the product proves to be defective within two years of purchase, Good Housekeeping will replace the item or refund the consumer. Only then is it reviewed using comprehensive environmental criteria, including ingredient and product safety, the reduction of water use in manufacturing, energy efficiency in manufacturing and product use, packaging reduction, and the brand’s corporate social responsibility.
“Our research shows that consumers want to buy products that are healthier for themselves, their families, and the planet, but they don’t know which environmental claims to trust,” said Miriam Arond, director of the Good Housekeeping Research Institute. “Our environmental emblem resonates with consumers because Good Housekeeping is a brand they trust. With the Green Good Housekeeping Seal, we’re continuing our legacy of advocacy and offering consumers guidance about products that work and that are also environmentally-responsible.”
About the Latest Products to Earn the Green Good Housekeeping Seal:
Bissell’s Little Green is a portable stain tool to spot clean carpets, stairs, upholstery, and more. In the Research Institute’s evaluations, the product scored particularly well in the following areas: materials, as the Little Green is made of at least 50 percent recycled plastic;packaging for the use of recycled content in the packaging and the impressive steps Bissell has taken to remove all packing materials from the box; and manufacturing process because Bissell is taking significant steps in reducing energy and water usage and waste produced in the manufacturing plants. Bissell is also making strides in improving their distribution footprint.
Miele’s entire S5 and S6 series, which includes 15 canister vacuums, have earned the Green Good Housekeeping Seal. The Miele S5481 Earth and S5481 Terrane models include an “AutoEco” mode that automatically adjusts the suction based on the type of floor, resulting in lower electricity usage. In the Research Institute’s evaluations, the products scored particularly well in the following categories: toxicity and product safety; packaging for the use of recycled content in the packaging and efforts to reduce the overall amount of packaging used; and efforts to be more environmentally conscience during distribution. Miele also scored well for its corporate social responsibility efforts and the use of theenvironmental management systems (ISO 14001) for their manufacturing facilities.
Pampers Cruisers, with three-way fit and 12-hour leakage protection are designed to move with today’s active babies. In the Research Institute’s environmental evaluations, the product performed particularly well in the following areas: reducing energy used and waste produced in the manufacturing processes; toxicity and product safety; and packaging, including the use of recycled materials in packaging. Pampers and its parent company Procter & Gamble are also making strides in many different areas including keeping track of their carbon emissions by calculating carbon footprints on both the company and product levels.
Scott Naturals Bath Tissue is toilet tissue made completely from FSC certified fiber and recycled content. In the Research Institute’s environmental evaluations, the product performed particularly well in the following areas: toxicity and product safety; materials and ingredients used, including the use of recycled content and use of certified materials; calculating a product level carbon footprint; and using recycled content in packaging. Scott Naturals and its parent company Kimberly Clark are also making strides forward in many different areas including housing the American headquarters in a LEED-certified building, calculating a company carbon footprint, and having goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions over the next five years.
TENA Women Underwear Super Plus and TENA Serenity Overnight Pads provide peace of mind for women struggling with a weakened bladder. In the Research Institute’s environmental evaluations, the product performed particularly well in the following areas: reducing energy use in manufacturing; toxicity and product safety; use of certified materials; calculating and reducing greenhouse gases emissions and using efficient distribution methods. TENA and its parent company SCA are also making strides in many different areas including housing the American headquarters in a LEED-Gold building, using renewable sources for non-manufacturing facilities; and registering a Corporate Social Responsibility report with Global Reporting Index (GRI).
The experts at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute are working on Green Good Housekeeping Seal applications for other product categories, which will be announced in the future. Members of Good Housekeeping’s Environmental Advisory Board are:Laurie David, producer (An Inconvenient Truth) and award-winning, bestselling author; Wood Turner, Executive Director for Climate Counts; Suhas Apte, Vice President Global Sustainability for Kimberly-Clark; David Bennell, Executive Director, Textile Exchange; Pamela Brody-Heine, Product Stewardship Manager, Zero Waste Alliance; Jill Dumain, director of environmental strategy for Patagonia; Sally Edwards, Sc.D, Research Associate at the University of Massachusetts Lowell Center for Sustainable Production; Katie Galloway, Earth Fund Manager for Aveda; Reid Lifset, M.S., M.P.P.M, Associate Director of the Industrial Environmental Management Program at Yale University; Erin Meezan, Vice President of Sustainability, Interface; Ursula Tischner, Program Coordinator Design for Sustainability at Savannah College of Art and Design; Mary T’Kach, Energy and Sustainability Coordinator, Ramsey County, MN; and Steve Thomas, television host and author.
For more information about the Green Good Housekeeping Seal and to view a summary of the application, please visit:www.GoodHousekeeping.com/GreenGHSeal.
