BASF Expands Sustainability Database

It's a daunting task to understand the claims and requirements of eco labels, designed to tell consumers about the environmental footprint of the product being purchased. Many businesses spend considerable time and resources trying to manage these classifications. In order to help its employees, stakeholders, suppliers, NGOs, government officials, and trade associations with the task, BASF maintains a database called SELECT, which it has just tripled in size to 270 programs, up from 100 in the previous year.

The SELECT Eco-Label Manager allows users to search and analyze eco-labels and their respective environmental claims, directories and ratings systems. The database is available online, and is free to registered participants, including BASF customers. There are currently more than 480 registered users of SELECT from 30 different countries.
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Nearly 300 programs are categorized into different market sectors. Building and Construction (B&C) is the largest sector with 94 programs represented in SELECT. BASF has a strong B&C product portfolio that provides customers with energy efficiency, heat management and concrete technologies with reduced environmental footprints.

Cleaning products comes next with 47 programs posted. This is a common type of environmental label because certified cleaning products can support the achievement of green building ratings.

Additional market sectors include Automotive, Electrical and Electronics, Furniture, Packaging, Paper, Personal Care, Textiles, Transportation, and Universal. Some of the programs included in SELECT are: Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), ENERGY STAR and Rainforest Alliance.

The tool is also international in its scope as it lists programs from the United States, Canada, Brazil, Austria, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Germany, France, Sweden, Belgium, Japan, and Switzerland.

BASF said some its next plans for SELECT include the addition of fields for Land Use - Biodiversity Requirements, Toxicity Potential, Water Use, Supply Chain Criteria (Traceability, and Hot Spot Analysis), and Social Performance Criteria (Corporate Level Performance, Product Level Performance).

The company is also working to implement an individual profile that registrants can complete to get email updates when individual programs are changed or updated, or when programs are changed, updated, or added to a particular market sector, geography, or type in which they are interested.

To find out more visit the SELECT website.

Image credit: Rainforest Alliance