by Brianna Crandall — September 2, 2013—ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, and its partner Ecoform recently introduced an online sustainable purchasing resource that already claims more than 1,200 active, unique users. The new resource, called Transpare, offers facilities managers, purchasing professionals and building service contractors an easy way to identify and research green chemical cleaning products and demonstrate their commitment to sustainability.
Transpare helps purchasers directly compare cleaning products based on environmental, health, and safety attributes. The site uses uniform metrics, which can be sorted according to those criteria most important to the customer while helping combat potential “greenwashing.”
Transpare was developed using a consensus-based process driven by the priorities of purchasers representing key market sectors, including healthcare, education, and government, plus environmental organizations and traditional ecolabel organizations. Experts involved in the development include representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Design for the Environment, Green Seal, EcoLogo, the State of Illinois, the State of California, and Walmart.
Manufacturers who have already placed products in the online registry include Avmor Ltd.; Betco Corp.; Diversey; Ecolab, Inc.; Enviro-Solutions Ltd.; Larose et Fils Ltee; Midlab, Inc.; Rochester Midland Corp.; and Spartan Chemical Co., Inc. Such companies are able to demonstrate their commitment to assisting customers in providing a clean, green, and healthy indoor environment as well as highlight the unique environmental characteristics of their products in a crowded marketplace.
ISSA and Ecoform are showcasing the new tool at a variety of purchaser events this year; the result has been a total of more than 10,000 page views logged on the site thus far. The resource was reportedly well received at the recent Every Building Show hosted by the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA), as well as the APPA Annual Conference for higher education facilities managers and the National Institute for Public Procurement Annual Forum for government purchasers in August. Upcoming events include the International Facility Management Association’s IFMA World Workplace October 2-4. Visit the FMLink Calendar for more event details.
To search for and compare products, visit the Transpare Web site. Manufacturers interested in listing their products within Transpare can contact ISSA Environmental Services Account Executive David Schweizer.
