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ULC Standards acquires environmental certification and advisory firm TerraChoice

October 4, 2010 | By Anthony Capkun


ULC Standards—an independent, not-for-profit standards development organization—has acquired majority ownership of TerraChoice, a player in environmental certification and green marketing, and exclusive manager of the EcoLogo Program. TerraChoice joins UL Environment (ULE) as part of the Underwriters Laboratories global network providing environmental services to companies around the world.

TerraChoice’s Canadian operations, office location and staff will remain
in place to provide uninterrupted service to its more than 500
customers. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

The EcoLogo Program was developed to help public and corporate
purchasers—as well as consumers—find and trust environmentally
preferable products across 80 categories. Founded in 1988, the EcoLogo
Program awards its mark to products demonstrating environmental
leadership within their category. As an ISO 14024 Type 1 program,
EcoLogo evaluates products against “scientifically rigorous criteria”
that reflect the entire life cycle of the product. An audit process
verifies that each product complies with the criteria established in
EcoLogo Standards, which restrict certification to only the top 20% of
products within a specific category. More than 7000 EcoLogo-certified
products are currently available on the market.

In addition to managing the EcoLogo Program, TerraChoice provides
clients with “scientifically legitimate environmental marketing and
communications expertise”.

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“For more than two decades, TerraChoice has led the development and
adoption of sustainable product standards in Canada, and established
EcoLogo as one of the most credible eco-labels in the world,” said UL
Environment president, Stephen Wenc. “By joining forces, we are
enhancing our leadership in the global market for sustainable product
certification and environmental claims validation. This important
convergence will also streamline the process of turning environmental
leadership into a competitive advantage for manufacturers and service
providers.”

“Working together, TerraChoice and UL Environment will accelerate the
critical movement toward sustainable products and consumption by
providing complementary services for the global sustainability market,”
said Scott McDougall, president of TerraChoice. “With Underwriters
Laboratories’ worldwide network of professionals, we will bring greater
value to our existing customers and will reach and assist a wider group
of companies making genuine environmental progress. We believe that a
growing number of buyers will seek out the EcoLogo and UL Environment
Sustainable Product Certification marks to identify products that are
better for people and for our planet.”


CLICK HERE
for UL Environment (ULE).


CLICK HERE
for TerraChoice

CLICK HERE for ULC Standards.


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