Products

Product Approval Policy

Green Criteria

We’re identifying and assembling the “greenest-in-class”, highest-quality products in every home improvement and hardware category. But what makes a product “green”? Existing third-party certifications and guidelines are important but incomplete, don’t apply to all product categories, and sometimes don't include greener options. So we developed a simple but comprehensive set of criteria looking at health effects, environmental impacts, social responsibility, and product quality.

Our team has already invested thousands of hours researching thousands of products in order to identify the greenest choices available in every hardware and home improvement product category. We begin by reviewing product information and Material Data Safety Sheets (MSDS) where certain hazardous ingredients are disclosed as required by law. We interview manufacturer representatives to discover their commitment to sustainability, where and how products are manufactured, and what other non-disclosed ingredients might be of concern. We follow this up with web-based research and third-party consultations. Finally, we compare products in the same category to focus on the greener choices. We demonstrate a preference to products that avoid certain components, such as formaldehyde and petroleum derived chemicals, and to companies with a strong green mission. We also engage with "conventional" companies who have greener products to encourage them to get greener.

While we’re confident in our results, our goal is not to create our own green product certification based on rigid criteria. Rather, our goal is to keep pace with product innovation, enourage more sustainable solutions, and make them available to a wider market. Our approach is an ongoing process driven by a continuous dialog about the greenest choices available to do the job. Let’s call it green kaizen – a process of continuous green improvement; an open process that engages the supply chain, the market, experts and customers in a green product feedback loop.

Click here for the evaluation criteria we’ve used.