First-of-a-kind label focuses on compact products
The NSF certification rewards products that reduce packaging, water use and emissions. Read More
- NSF’s Certified Compact Product standard is available to laundry and skin care products, with other product types to follow.
- The certification is based on thresholds for the amount of product consumed in a typical use cycle.
- Products with the certification will be flagged as Climate Pledge Friendly on Amazon.
Companies wanting to trumpet the environmental benefits associated with using less packaging can now apply for a new “compact product” certification that its creators say is the first of its kind.
To earn the certification, companies essentially need to prove that consumers will get more use from the same mass of product. For laundry detergent tablets, for instance, manufacturers must show that a load of laundry can be washed using a tablet that weighs 20 grams or less.
The threshold was determined by NSF, the organization behind the standard, and is designed to ensure that products with the label deliver genuine benefits, including less packaging, reduced water use and lower greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing and transport.
Consumer trends
Several companies, including names consumers will be familiar with, are working through the certification process, said Jess Evans, director of food advisory at NSF. The process typically takes six to 10 weeks and costs between $5,000 and $12,500 per product group.
The certification, which launched last month, is initially open only to laundry and skin care products but will soon be extended to other areas, starting with shampoo and conditioner.
NSF’s Certified Compact Product standard taps into multiple consumer trends, noted Evans. In addition to demand for more sustainable products, buyers are also looking for products that are easier to store and travel with.
Crowded field
The label may be the first to highlight compact design, but when it comes to signaling environmental attributes it will compete with hundreds of “ecolabels” found in almost every country and spanning most classes of consumer products.
It does have something of a head start, however: Products that have earned NSF’s certification will be flagged on Amazon as Climate Pledge Friendly, a label the online retailer attaches to items that have been certified under one of more than 50 different environmental standards. Joining the Climate Pledge Friendly scheme leads to a 13 percent increase in sales in the 12 weeks after adoption, according to a study published last year.
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