Eco Friendly Certifications - BPI, FSC, ASTM, EN, EPA?

What does it mean to be eco-friendly?

In today’s world it is more important than ever to minimize the damage we have done and continue to do to our environment. There is so much information available out there that offers some quick fixes to our daily lives that can help us be more conscious of the planet around us. Living an eco-friendly life is something that most people can get on board with but many have no idea what that means or how to achieve it. What does it really mean to be eco-friendly? 

Eco-friendly literally means earth-friendly and not harmful to the environment. Mostly, this term has been used to label products and practices that help conserve resources and promote green practices. They also contribute to preventing pollution of our air, water, and land. Turning off your lights when not in use or using 100% biodegradable products in your daily life are some great examples of what it means to be eco-friendly. These simple changes can have a great impact and are a bigger change than they seem to be. But while trying your hardest to use the right products, you could still be doing more harm than good.

Understanding FTC, BPI, FSC, ASTM, EN, and EPA Certifications

Unfortunately, it has become easier and easier for companies to claim their products are eco-friendly without actually being eco-friendly. ‘The FTC Green Guides say that in order for a product to be properly labeled as eco-friendly, the packaging must explain why it is environmentally responsible. Otherwise, it might not even be safe for the environment based on how consumers actually use the product. These misleading marketing claims are often called "greenwashing".’ (1). Greenwashing is a deceptive practice that companies use to drive sales of their products they claim are eco-friendly. This is where great research and educated purchases come into play on the part of the consumer.

It is easy for companies to slap a picture of the earth on their product and label it environmentally friendly or eco-friendly, but doing your own research and carefully reviewing the companies claims and website can make it easy to determine what is a safe product and what isn’t. If you still aren’t sure or you are out there in the world making decisions on the fly, there are some labels that you can always trust that can be found in the chart below. These labels will let you know what part of the product is eco-friendly and have been globally recognized. 

ASTM and EN Compostable Standards

Compostable products are the answer to a sustainable future. Compostable means that a product is capable of breaking down into natural elements in a compost environment. Per ASTM standards, the breakdown process usually takes about 90 days and causes no harm to the environment. Compostable products yield CO2, water, inorganic compounds, and biomass that leave no visible, distinguishable, or toxic residue. That is what we do at Eco Gloves, our research and development team are pioneers in advanced plant based polymers that minimize our environmental impact on the environment.

Do eco-friendly gloves really exist?

With all the talk of greenwashing and false claims, you might be wondering if there are actually products out there that really are truly eco-friendly. Products that you can feel confident in using, knowing that you have made an informed, environmentally conscious decision as a consumer. Single use items are often something that people are concerned with from an eco-friendly stand point, since you will only use the product once and then it is gone forever to take up space in some landfill or be dragged out to sea. Plastic products like to-go food containers, plasticware, and gloves are some items that are used every minute in our world and every minute add to the landfills. Here at Eco Gloves we decided enough was enough and were ready to put an end to the single use glove epidemic that was plaguing our landfills and oceans. 

So yes, those eco-friendly gloves do exist! We perfected them! Our goal is to produce products with less reliance on traditional polluting materials and move forward towards solutions that are fully compostable, biodegradable, and recyclable whenever possible. How do you do that you might ask! Well let’s take a look at what makes eco-friendly gloves eco-friendly.

How do we make an eco-friendly glove?

Not all single-use gloves are created equal. Not all eco-friendly single-use gloves are created equal either! Here at Eco Gloves we decided to do things a little differently. Just three words. Our Advanced Biopolymer Technology or “ABT” for short. Eco Gloves leverages the top chemists and research & development teams from around the world that have decades of experience inventing biodegradable materials. Our plant-based bio polymers are specially formulated to be environmentally friendly, and chemically engineered to address the harmful plastic and landfill pollution that is having negative impacts on the environment. Our gloves, when exposed to the elements, break down in about 90 days and cause no harm to the planet. What glove can say that?! 

But the glove itself is not all of the process that makes a product eco-friendly. The manufacturing process for creating single-use gloves should also be considered when deciding if a product is truly eco-friendly. We have seen companies cut corners just to make claims. Our engineering team adheres to the strictest International Safety Organization (ISO) standards, and all of our products are certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI). We obsess over every detail in our products, even our manufacturing processes. The result? An ethically manufactured and superior product that starts from raw material sourcing all the way to package labeling. We focus on a quadruple bottom line approach for our clients - environmental impact, safety, quality, and price. An example of this is how we carefully formulate the best plant-based biopolymer material for the application, and choose Rainforest Certified cardboard manufacturers when applicable.

Compostable Products for a Sustainable Future

Being eco-friendly is not as hard as it seems. We are working tirelessly to create a new standard for how single-use products should be created. Compostable products are the future. We are happy to be the pioneers for our precious environment but need your help. Doing valuable research on the companies that claim to be eco-friendly both in product and practice and switching out the products you can, greatly reduce the impact our planet takes from our waste. Seeking out these products and consciously using them does take a little more effort on the part of the consumer, but you can rest easy knowing that you have made a decision that will change the world. 

1. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/a29830418/what-eco-friendly-means/