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NGS Signs Anti-Greenwash Charter

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NGS Anti-GreewashCharter Certificate
NGS National Green Specification
is the trading name of Brian Murphy the creator of Green Building Calculator

Work With Gusto & Anti-Greenwash Charter

We recently launched a campaign to champion responsible marketing practice in the built environment industry and I thought it would be of interest to you.

Sponsored by the ASBP, we’ve created the Anti-Greenwash Charter to help raise awareness and ease the impact of greenwashing on the development of a truly sustainable built environment.

We’re looking for organisations that support these aims to sign the Charter and I wondered if you’d be happy to do so? It’s free and very simple to get involved.

Thank you for your consideration.

Kind regards,

Charlie


I have attempted to sign such charters and declares but rejected because I am not chartered or ‘one of them’ ‘not part of their club’ despite being well armed to support their ambitions.

  • Who is this aimed at (as members)?
  • It easy to join but does it have any scrutiny?
  • Does it have any teeth?
  • Who is it presenting too?
  • Does it in any way engage with the ambitions of the Code of Construction Product Information and their campaign and training for a Culture of Competence?
    • Theirs is related to Life safety products but can go further.

Thanks for getting back to me. I’ve done my best to address your concerns below but if you’d prefer to jump on a quick call, I’d be happy to talk you through the Charter in a little more detail. Just let me know.

I have attempted to sign such charters and declares but rejected because I am not chartered or ‘one of them’ ‘not part of their club’ despite being well armed to support their ambitions.

Our Charter is fully inclusive, and designed for any organisation operating in the built environment sector. So far we’ve had contractors, product manufacturers, architects, trade associations, merchants, distributors, developers, house-builders and educational institutions sign the Charter.

You can see a full list of signatories here.

Who is this aimed at (as members)?

As mentioned previously, this Charter is for any type of organisation operating in the built environment industry.

It easy to join but does it have any scrutiny?

We require all signatories to have a published Green Claims Policy, within 12 months of signing the Charter. These policies (attached is our template) detail the marketing procedures an organisation uses, to ensure responsible practice is upheld. It is our intention that, as the Charter grows, we will carry out an annual review/audit of an organisation’s policy and practices.

Does it have any teeth?

If an organisation does not choose to publish a Green Claims Policy, their Charter membership will be revoked. When audits are carried out, any organisation deemed to be ineffectually implementing the practices detailed in their policy, will also have their membership revoked.

Who is it presenting too?

Sorry, I’m a little unclear on this question. Would you mind expanding?

Does it in any way engage with the ambitions of the Code of Construction Product Information and their campaign and training for a Culture of Competence?

There are certainly synergies between the CCPI and our Charter but crucially, a few, fundamental differences. You’ve already touched on the biggest, which is their code is focused exclusively on product information and therefore really only relevant to product manufacturers. Our Charter is concerned with marketing practice more generally and is therefore much more widely applicable to other types of organisation operating in the sector. 

I hope that clears things up Brian. If you are still interested in signing the Charter, you can do so here. We’d really appreciate your support.


Your answers were very helpful and encouraging

Completing the questionnaire was very unsatisfactory for me.

I do not normally make claims, I mostly deliver information for others to act on.

Many of my answers were ‘never’ but i can still sign up, feels weak, but I need to see the follow up.

I do question or challenge the output of others

My CPD material challenges conventional violet (not green) construction and encourages green materials and methods

Some could argue I am biased for doing this, but I do highlight why or how violet materials are violet and how green ones are green

Much of what I say is based on principles and occasionally with numbers.

I regularly critique BRE and its outputs: BREEAM and Green Guide to Specification for is failings and its bias towards violet materials (by the absence of green ones)

The calculators I create are based on standard equations, product and materials data,

Admittedly a lot of data is based on manufacturers claims, much of which is not explicitly backed up with evidence.

I am planning to address the absence of evidence in new tools being developed now.

Post-Grenfell all test evidence needs to be created or updated, at newly accredited recalibrated test houses by a rejuvenated accountable UKAS or its replacement.

My unresolved question:

  • How influential is the charter? Especially buried in a marketing service website?
  • How and where is it promoted?
  • Who sees the Anti-GreenWash Charter?
  • Who sees the list of signatories?

Yes I would like to see the Charter template, I could not see an attachment.


Thanks for getting back to me. 

I think the first thing to note is that we appreciate that our Charter is certainly not the complete solution. We are specifically focused on the marketing procedures an organisation employs, to ensure they practice responsible communications. I have now attached our Green Claims Policy template for your review. It’s worth noting that we’re currently putting together a steering group to help improve the template year on year.

Regarding the following:

  • How influential is the charter? Especially buried in a marketing service website?
  • How and where is it promoted?
  • Who sees the Anti-GreenWash Charter?
  • Who sees the list of signatories?

We agree, we need to create a seperate website for the Charter and that’s something we’re working on at the moment. We have already promoted the Charter via some press channels (BusinessGreen etc.) and via a growing number of membership organisations (ASBP, Carpenters Fellowship etc.) but as our number of signatories grow, we’d expect to get more press traction. 

I hope that provides some more clarity Brian. Your feedback has been invaluable so far, thank you very much indeed.




© GBE GBC GBL NGS ASWS Brian Murphy aka BrianSpecMan **
11th May 2022 – 1st June 2022

NGS Signs Anti-Greenwash Charter End.

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