Implementation of pandemic-related policies and procedures is well underway across all industries and sectors. These changes aim to protect people, instill resiliency of businesses, and ensure sustainable futures for all aspects of the business. Now more than ever we are considering policies and procedures that directly impact the health and safety of the people of our organizations and the environment in which we live and work.
One ever-present challenge for all households, schools, businesses, and venues is waste generation and subsequent need for reduction. With, among all other things, more disposable masks, plastic gloves, and cleaning supplies hitting the trash can, and, as we bring together our teams to implement pandemic-related sustainability programs, now would be an appropriate time to incorporate waste and waste reduction measures into our planning.
While some waste-reduction measurements focus mainly on recycling trash once it’s reached the post-consumer phase, Total Resource Use and Efficiency (TRUE) Zero Waste works to help minimize trash output from the supply chain all the way down to the curb. TRUE Zero Waste certification evaluates projects across 15 different categories that guide facilities toward a “zero waste” end goal of maximum material efficiency and minimum environmental footprint.
Since it may be challenging to attempt the TRUE Zero Waste certification during the COVID-19 pandemic, Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) is now offering a Precertification option that is valid for three years and will kick-start your zero waste journey. TRUE Precertification is an incremental pathway to TRUE certification that prioritizes the core actions essential to getting a successful start toward zero waste.
Precertification requires demonstration of compliance with five TRUE Minimum Program Requirements (MPRs), and with nine TRUE Credits, including pandemic-related Pilot Credits that are available for substitution for two of the nine.
3R’s True Advisors are available to help you turn your waste into dollars, leading you through Precertification now and through the Certification and Recertification processes in the years to come. Consider becoming one of the nearly 180 TRUE-certified projects located around the world!
To realize the full benefit from TRUE you’ll eventually want to pursue full certification because this comprehensive framework will bring value to your organization by reducing raw material consumption, preventing operational waste, and assessing material life cycles to bring your organization closer to a closed loop system.
Interested in seeing TRUE in action? Check out this case study highlighting DMI Companies and learn how DMI “was able to achieve over $45,000 in cost avoidance through recycling and reuse.”