Eco certificationReader submitted

My work (office-based, management) is looking in to getting an eco/sustainability certification. What is the best on offer, there seems many to choose from. Has anyone heard of or have Rata Certification? That is one we are looking into.

Response posted by EcoPro 09.01.13

I understand your confusion, yes there are so many to choose from. In my extensive research on the topic I have found that certain certification programmes are better suited to certain types of businesses than others, so I recommend looking into several before deciding which one is the best fit for your type of business.

For example, we are a Commercial Cleaning company who pride ourselves in being industry leaders in eco cleaning. Our first certification was with Environmental Choice NZ, or ECNZ, the government backed eco-labelling system. They follow international standards for eco labelling, giving consumers an excellent guideline in making more responsible choices. If you have a product or a service that falls within their specification criteria then this may or may not be a good choice for you (we have our services licensed, and only use ECNZ licensed cleaning chemicals and washroom consumables). However they are also currently putting together an 'Office Activities' specification which might be worth checking out. www.enviro-choice.org.nz/about_ecnz/ 

There are several certification processes that focus specifically on office/business performance. I looked into CarboNZero but as we are very low carbon emitters to start with it really didn’t make a whole lot of sense for our business. The other one along the same lines is ISO14001 however apparently that is an extremely difficult and long winded process, an absolute nightmare some have said to me and I have been put off by several people’s comments. 

That’s when I found Rata. They have a very robust, but simple to follow formula that leads you on a pathway to 'greening' your business. They guide you carefully through the process and are on hand to make things as simple for you as is possible. Their philosophy is to help grow New Zealand businesses and part of their certification is ‘greening your supply chain’ by choosing suppliers with like-minded sustainable policies – building a strong network of sustainable businesses all supporting each other and helping improving economic development, social progress and environmental quality.

The other thing I like about Rata is that it is an ongoing process. You don't just get your tick and off you go. Sustainability is a continual pathway, ever improving as technology and our understanding of the world improves. It needs to evolve and grow, just as a tree never stops growing.

Rata hold regular seminars in Auckland and Wellington to which all types of businesses are welcome to come along and find out more about the programme. We are regular attendees at these seminars as guest speakers.

If you would like to find out more you can find their contact details on their website www.ratacert.co.nz.

Of course, it also depends on what you want out of a certification. There is a financial investment with any programme so you need to make sure that you are going to be getting something out of it in return. Networking is an important part of our business so Rata works well for us.

Sorry for the long-winded reply :-) Hope this helps.