IMO Certification
IMO stands for Institute for Marketecology, also known as Control Body IMO. It is a for profit business employing more than 400 experts in over ninety nations, which inspects, tests, evaluates and verifies businesses as to whether they meet the standards of certifying organizations.
Intertek
Intertek is an international corporation whose business is testing, evaluation and certification of products and their manufacturing processes for safety, performance, and verification of claims.
A Time to Sleep – Part 2
After all the talk of the need of sleep and urging us to get enough sleep, some of us may be tempted to say, “Well, you can’t get too much sleep.” So it is only fair to ask, “Can we sleep too much?” Apparently, the answer is, “Yes.”
A Time to Sleep – Part 1
The questions of How much sleep is enough? and When is it too much sleep? are addressed by several persons and organizations in books and articles and online. Frankly, there is not total agreement on the answers, though there is some general agreement with differences on particulars.
Fair Trade Certifications
Fair trade standards were originally monetary, pertaining to the percentage of the end price (paid by consumers) that reached the other end of the supply chain, the original producers. Over time, this broadened to include working conditions, social/community conditions, and accessibility of education. Now it also includes sustainability, environmental responsibility, and climate.
Bedfax
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Sustainable Furnishings Council
The focus of the Sustainable Furnishings Council extends from how raw materials are collected to how finished products are delivered and set up. At the starting point is whether harvesting of wood and other biological materials is a self-sustaining process. This means not destroying rainforests and mountain timberlands, but balancing harvesting with new and continuing growth.
Made in USA Certifications
If buying goods made in the United States is a priority, don’t fall for just any claim of origin, whether specific or implied. Look for one of the two seals described above as verification that the poduct meets the standards for being Made in USA.
GOLS
The goal of establishing the Global Organic Latex Standard was to have one certification for verifying claims by manufacturers and marketers that their latex products were “organic” or “natural” or from “sustainable” sources.
GOTS
As the OEKO-TEX seal is now found extensively on fabrics sold in North America and Europe to verify that fabrics used are free from harmful substances, the GOTS seal is now expected to be found on textile products claiming to have organic content.
OEKO-TEX
OEKO-TEX standards apply to fibers, textiles and the products made from them, such as garments, curtains, sheets and mattress covers.
GREENGUARD and GREENGUARD Gold Certification
The Organization GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) is a for-profit business unit of Underwriters Laboratories (UL), one of the most trusted testing, reporting and certifying organizations in the world. All of us are aware of the UL seal which appears on...