| Sumario: | From the cradle to the grave, all products have an environmental impact that is not easily condensed into a simple “happy” or “sad” facial symbol. “To evaluate suppliers' environmental claims, Home Depot requires manufacturers to submit their products for review to an independent organization, Scientific Certification Systems, Inc. (SCS),” says Mark Eisen, director of environmental marketing for Home Depot in Atlanta, Georgia. Consumers and environmentalists alike need to know that environmental superiority is not a black-and-white issue. For example, while a certain product may claim to be free of heavy metals, production of the substitute “triggers the release of three times as much of the offending chemical into the ecosystem of the country where it was made,” Eisen notes. In the five years since Home Depot launched its program, 30 products have received certification. “As the number of these products increases, consumers will become empowered with the necessary information to make more prudent, environmentally sound decisions,” Eisen says. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
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