Clean, Green - With Customer Appeal

Clean, Green - With Customer Appeal

A new service has been launched which will help New Zealand producers drive price premiums in domestic and international markets by verifying that their products and services are clean, green and environmentally desirable.

Green Tick is the first comprehensive certification system for conventionally-produced goods and services which provides defined standards for product quality, health and safety and environmental performance.

Products and services that opt into the Green Tick service, and consistently meet the high standards set by Green Tick Technologies, are awarded the Green Tick brand, which boldly reassures for consumers claims that the products and services are clean and green.

It is a timely launch because there is a lot at stake for producers: a PA Consulting report, undertaken for the Ministry for the Environment, shows 54 percent of our $11.5 billion meat and dairy exports may be purchased based on New Zealand's "clean green" image. On the domestic market, a significant proportion of $6.75 billion in supermarket sales may also be made with the "clean green" image in mind.

Businesses, exporters and industry groups attended a briefing today at the Wellington Chamber of Commerce to hear about the new certification system for conventional products and services, which was developed by Green Tick Technologies.

According to it promoters, chairman Wayne Brown and director Susan Harris, Green Tick strengths include the fact that it is independent, measurable, repeatable, available and verifiable.

"Worldwide, consumers are demanding independent assurances on product quality and environmental integrity. Environmental degradation is one of the big global issues of the 21st century. By using the Green Tick, organisations demonstrate they are committed to sustainable development," Mrs Harris says.

But it is not just for altruistic reasons, businesses are being encouraged to use the Green Tick because there is a sound business case for doing so.

"Green Tick bearers can be price makers; not price takers. People will pay more for quality, but the sellers have to show their products are superior in terms of how they are produced. Consumers are becoming more and more sophisticated and are looking for more information on whether products of good for them and good for the environment.

"Green Tick is a powerful brand which can deliver that reassurance. It hits you in the face. Marketers have less than 10 seconds to convince someone to buy their products in a supermarket. Green Tick makes the customers' choices easy," Mrs Harris says.

To achieve Green Tick certification, suppliers of goods and services must pass a Green Tick review undertaken by an approved, independent certifier. The review takes into account factors such as product quality, energy and resource use, waste management, occupational safety and health.

A team of nine scientists and engineers, including Mrs Harris who has 15 years' experience as an environmental scientist and planner, has spent three years developing the programme to ensure it is defendable in international markets.

There are two levels of Green Tick - Green Tick Approved (most suited to domestic market use) and Green Tick Premium (for world-class quality products). Certification is valid for two years (subject to spot checks) and must be reviewed after that time.

"Businesses which want to market their products as truly "clean and green" need to demonstrate proof to increasingly demanding consumers. Green Tick provides a simple, powerful and cost-effective system for doing so which will become increasingly common in New Zealand and overseas markets. It is an opportunity they cannot afford to miss," Mrs Harris says.

For more information on Green Tick go to http://www.greentick.co.nz

© Scoop Media