Introduction

Unlike many other manufacturers of "green" household products, Planet's claims of environmental friendliness are independently certified by reputable third parties. All of our cleaning products are certified by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) and all of our paper products are certified by the Environmental Choice Program (ECP) as being environmentally friendly.

This page provides an overview of SCS and the ECP, however you can obtain more complete information by visiting their websites.

Scientific Certification Systems

SCS is a multi-disciplinary scientific organization based near Oakland, California. Founded in 1984, their mission is to encourage more environmentally sustainable policy planning, product design, management systems and production operations by instituting a series of internationally recognized evaluation, certification and labeling programs. These programs are designed to help consumers, business managers and government policy setters make better educated decisions by putting crucial environmental information into their hands.

SCS's Environmental Claims Certification Program was established to provide independent verification of the accuracy of environmental claims appearing on products and packaging. They have verified environmental claims appearing on hundreds of products and continue to be a leader in educating the public about the proper use of "green" marketing claims. Examples of some of the environmental claims that SCS certifies are Recycled/Recovered Content, Biodegradability and Organic Products.

Among its many activities, SCS operates the NutriClean program of laboratory testing to verify that fruit and vegetable pesticide residue levels meet or surpass government standards. A number of major grocery retailers, including Raley's, Fred Meyer and Ralphs, use this service. SCS also administers special claims screening programs to help retailers such as Home Depot monitor the environmental claims made by their vendors to ensure that these claims meet responsible green marketing guidelines.

SCS has certified that all of Planet's household cleaning products are 100% biodegradable, meaning that our products break down into simple substances like carbon dioxide, basic minerals and water. For exact details about SCS's biodegradability certification standards, click here.

Look for this label on the packaging of our cleaning products. It is your guarantee that our environmental claims are credible.

Environmental Choice Program

The ECP is Environment Canada's ecolabelling program. Its mission is to encourage the supply of products and services that are more environmentally responsible by providing a market incentive to manufacturers and suppliers of environmentally preferable products and services. Those products and services that meet the ECP's strict criteria are marked with Environment Canada's trademarked EcoLogo. This trademark helps consumers to identify products and services that are less harmful to the environment and to make more informed purchases.

Established in 1988, the ECP was the second national ecolabelling initiative undertaken. There are now more than three dozen such programs worldwide. The Global Ecolabelling Network is an international association of ecolabelling programs, including the Environmental Choice Program.

The ECP has certified that all of Planet's recycled paper products are manufactured in a way that is significantly less harmful to the environment than traditional methods. This is accomplished by:

Using 100% recycled paper (minimum 80% post-consumer)
Whitening without chlorine bleach
Using less water and energy than non-recyclable products

For more details about the ECP's sanitary paper products certification standards, click here.

Look for this label on the packaging of our paper products. It is your guarantee that our environmental claims are credible.

"The goal of sustainable development will only be achieved when each of us understands how our personal and professional decisions affect the environment. Our goal at SCS is to empower individuals with accurate, scientific information to make the best environmental decisions."

Stanley Rhodes, Ph.D.
President & CEO, SCS