ISSA and Ecoform unveiled a working model of TranspareTM at ISSA/INTERCLEAN® 2011 North America in Las Vegas, NV, where it was well received by suppliers as well as those who purchase and/or use cleaning products in their institutional facilities.
Transpare is a Web-based platform that provides detailed and comprehensive information about the environmental, health, and safety attributes of cleaning products registered in the system. In communicating environmental information about the products housed in the system, Transpare relies upon a uniform and harmonized set of metrics based on data verified by Ecoform, an independent third-party. In this regard, Transpare is a powerful tool that will revolutionize the way the cleaning industry exchanges information concerning the environmental profile of cleaning products.
Experienced Partners
The development of Transpare represents a collaborative effort of ISSA’s in conjunction with Ecoform. Ecoform is the leading technical analysis company in the United States that focuses on the environmental performance of companies and their products and processes. Ecoform President Jack Geibig, who is personally leading the development of Transpare, has more than 15 years of experience focused on the development of tools and methods that identify safer materials and inform sustainable product design. He also is an expert in the development of environmental product and material standards and has worked closely with Green Seal, EcoLogo, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Design for the Environment—or DfE— in support of their standard setting activities for green institutional and commercial cleaning chemicals.
Scope of Products
The first iteration of Transpare will address chemical cleaning products, such as general purpose, bathroom, carpet, and glass cleaners. For chemical cleaners, Transpare will provide information on 24 individual environmental, safety, and health characteristics and address the following categories: material content, human health and environmental impacts, performance, resource consumption, product design, and material sourcing.
While Transpare will cover chemical cleaners initially, ISSA and Ecoform have committed to build the system out so that, ultimately, it covers all major product categories in the cleaning industry. In fact, work is already underway to develop criteria for powered cleaning equipment and jansan paper products. This means manufacturers and suppliers of all major cleaning product categories will be able to use the system to effectively and credibly articulate the environmental attributes of their products in a transparent manner.
Information-Based
It should be noted that Transpare is an information-based system that does not attempt to establish a new standard or definition of what is green. Rather, Transpare seeks to provide open and transparent information to prospective purchasers so that they can make informed decisions and identify and procure cleaning products that possess characteristics that are consistent with their organizational sustainability goals and objectives. Transpare’s chemical cleaner module is designed to complement existing ecolabel programs and also works to provide a credible platform for products that are not certified under any other ecolabel program.
How Transpare Works
To enter a product into Transpare, suppliers (i.e., manufacturers, distributors, etc.) must register the product, then create a secure account through Transpare’s online portal and select the “submit product” option. Suppliers will then be prompted by Transpare’s online automated registration system to report on each of the various environmental attributes required in addition to also supplying data to prove the product possesses the particular attribute in question.
Once suppliers have provided complete information on a product and paid the registration fee, the claimed environmental attributes and underlying data will be independently reviewed by Ecoform’s trained technical staff. Ecoform will review this information to verify that the product possesses the claimed environmental attributes and that the submitted data supports the claimed characteristics of the product.
Upon successful completion of the Ecoform verification process, the product “goes live” in Transpare. Prospective purchasers will have free access to all products registered in Transpare and will be allowed to use the system to view and select products for purchase and use in their facilities.
As an Internet-based system, Transpare also features an automated registration portal that allows manufacturers and other suppliers to more efficiently manage the registration process. In addition, the product registration portal provides a quicker and more predictable turn around period providing suppliers with the capability of more effectively managing their marketing programs.
Bells & Whistles
Transpare is a robust database that not only provides information in a transparent forum, but also possesses unique features that enhance the utility and functionality of the system. For starters, Transpare is equipped with “filters” that allow users to conduct searches of the database using either preset or customizable criteria. For example, Transpare will feature a Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design for Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance (LEED-EBOM) filter that will search the database for products that meet or exceed the specifications set forth for cleaning products in the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED-EB: OM standard for existing buildings. Similarly, prospective purchasers can create customized searches that search the database to find products that possess the users’ preferred environmental attributes (i.e., low VOC content, highly biodegradable, etc.).
Another key feature of Transpare is the context in which the information will be presented. Critical information regarding the environmental, health, and safety characteristics of cleaning products will be presented in conjunction with other educational content and guidance that will allow prospective purchasers to understand the significance of any particular attribute to further assist them in making an intelligent and informed decision.
Why Transpare? Why Now?
ISSA and Ecoform have developed Transpare based on their shared vision of where the green marketplace is today and, more importantly, where it is going.
The green marketplace continues to evolve and mature; it has quite a different character than it had in the early to mid-’90s. Today, on an increasing basis, the question facing customers is “Which green product best suits my needs?” Organizations need tools that are effective at differentiating environmentally preferable products based on specific attributes and reliable data.
Moreover, today’s institutional customers are growing more sophisticated and discerning in the nature and extent of the information they demand for the purposes of reviewing and selecting green cleaning and other products. They not only want green products, but they want to know how green they are and why they are green and they want to buy from green companies. They, in turn, use this information to help position themselves as a sustainable and preferred organization in their market space.
Companies that can meet this increased demand for greater information and transparency stand to effectively differentiate themselves in the crowded marketplace. Transpare was developed to help suppliers of cleaning products capitalize on this growing demand for transparency, and ultimately, succeed in the green marketplace.
Stated simply, Transpare is the right tool at the right time. It can help companies effectively differentiate their green products from the thousands of others based on credible, verifiable, and harmonized data and metrics. Furthermore, Transpare taps into the growing demand for transparency and will help contribute greatly to building a company’s brand and otherwise supporting a company’s market position as a preferred sustainable organization. In addition, by providing information in an open and transparent platform, Transpare helps to build trust in the marketplace, contributes to increased customer loyalty, and helps attract new customers. Transpare is an important tool that can significantly contribute to growth in market share.
Next Steps
In the coming weeks, ISSA and Ecoform will announce the beta testing of Transpare and invite suppliers to test the system and provide feedback. If you are interested in participating in the beta test, or would simply like more information on Transpare, contact Bill Balek at bill@issa.com.
This article first appeared in the 2011 Postconvention issue http://issatoday.issa.com of ISSA Today.
