You're convinced that green products are best for your family. You want to buy a green product. You go to the mall to search for them. You're surprised to find that there, actually, are many. The fact is: there is an increasing number of products in the market claiming that they are "green", "earth-friendly'", "eco-friendly", "sustainable", or some other interest-attracting adjectives. Great? Problem solved? Ever heard of green washing?
Maybe, not. How can we know if the sellers and manufacturers are telling the truth? How can we be assured that the claims are true? What is a green product, in the first place? Are there any metrics or standards to measure up to? Is there somebody out there watching over the green industry?
I was happy to have met Mr. June Alvarez in the last Philippine Building Green Forum. He is the president of PCEPSDI, The Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc., the third-party, non-government, non-stock, and non-profit organization that administers the Philippine's ecolabelling program---GREEN CHOICE. He talked about their organization, their goals, and their current undertakings. He directed me to their website, which as he said, is rich in information about their programs (http://www.pcepsdi.org.ph). The website also hosts the guidelines and application forms for those interested in making and selling Green Choice-certified products. Do visit the site to learn more. Apparently, each product has a different set of standards and metrics to follow. All, by the way, are based on ISO 14024.
The GREEN CHOICE certification helps the market in making the responsible purchasing decisions. It protects them from false and deceiving claims. They set standards that elevate the quality of the green products. They are "third party" and thus, independent and unbiased. They are non-government, thus, more free and democratic -- the market choices, the market demands and tastes eventually dictate what are to be sold and produced.
The GREEN CHOICE helps protect the environment and our well-being, health and safety.
The GREEN CHOICE helps promote, calls attention to the need for green products.
The organization, PCEPSDI, helps us in many other ways. Read : Purposes of PCEPSDI.
Watch this video by Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc.
LEARN GREEN. LIVE GREEN. BUILD GREEN. MANUFACTURE GREEN. SELL GREEN. BUY GREEN.
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PCEPSDI is located at:
3/F Development Academy of the Philippines Building
San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City
Philippines 1600
Contact numbers:
631-2151
740-3810
633-5573
387-2991
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WORDS FROM THE SPONSOR
"choose this day whom you will serve ... but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord ... you are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD for yourselves, to serve Him." Joshua 24:15,22
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