Just Monday, I wrote about the growing consumer interest in independent eco-labels that help identify products designed and manufactured with the environment and resource sustainability in mind. In that vein, Good Housekeeping magazine has just blessed several paper goods and appliances with its Green Good Housekeeping Seal.
The Good Housekeeping Seal is one of the best known brands in consumer rating systems. The green edition goes above and beyond the requirements of the primary label (which protects against defects) to look at a number of environmental criteria. Those considerations include ingredients and product safety metrics, the amount of water used in manufacturing, the energy used in manufacturing and product use, the type of packaging used for the product, and the overall corporate sustainability strategy of the company that makes the product.
The magazine already has applied the green seal to beauty, cleaning, paint and coatings, and food products. New this week are products that fall under Appliances and Electronics, and Paper Goods.
Those recognized in the initial batch include the following:
- Bissell Little Green, a stain removal tool for carpets, stairs, upholstery and such. Approximately half of the materials used to make the tool are recycled.
- Miele S5 and S6 Vacuums, which includes an AutoEco mode that adjusts electricity consumption depending on the sort of surface being cleaned
- Pampers Cruisers, which get good marks for the way they are manufactured and packaged
- Scott Naturals Bath Tissue, made entirely from fiber certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council
- TENA Women Underwear Super Plus and TENA Serenity Overnight Pads, which qualified mainly because of the parent company’s manufacturing and sustainability practices
