ULC Standards Acquires Environmental Certification and Advisory Firm TerraChoice

NORTHBROOK, Ill. and OTTAWA, Ontario, Aug. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- ULC Standards, an independent, not-for-profit standards development organization, today announced that it has acquired majority ownership of TerraChoice, a global leader in environmental certification and green marketing, and exclusive manager of the EcoLogo™ Program. TerraChoice joins UL Environment as part of the Underwriters Laboratories global network providing environmental services to companies around the world. TerraChoice's Canadian operations, office location and staff will remain in place to provide uninterrupted service to its more than 500 customers. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

The EcoLogo Program helps public and corporate purchasers, as well as consumers, find and trust environmentally preferable products across 80 categories. Founded in 1988, the EcoLogo Program awards its mark to products that demonstrate environmental leadership within their category. As an ISO 14024 Type 1 program, EcoLogo evaluates products against scientifically rigorous criteria that reflect the entire life cycle of the product. An audit process verifies that each product complies with the criteria established in EcoLogo Standards, which restrict certification to only the top 20 percent of products within a specific category. More than 7,000 EcoLogo-certified products are currently available on the market.

In addition to managing the EcoLogo Program, TerraChoice provides clients with scientifically-legitimate environmental marketing and communications expertise. The firm has also published the globally-renowned "Sins of Greenwashing" studies of environmental claims in consumer markets.

"For more than two decades, TerraChoice has led the development and adoption of sustainable product standards in Canada, and established EcoLogo as one of the most credible eco-labels in the world," said UL Environment President, Stephen Wenc. "By joining forces, we are enhancing our leadership in the global market for sustainable product certification and environmental claims validation. This important convergence will also streamline the process of turning environmental leadership into a competitive advantage for manufacturers and service providers."

"Working together, TerraChoice and UL Environment will accelerate the critical movement toward sustainable products and consumption by providing complementary services for the global sustainability market," said Scott McDougall, President of TerraChoice. "With Underwriters Laboratories' worldwide network of professionals, we will bring greater value to our existing customers and will reach and assist a wider group of companies making genuine environmental progress. We believe that a growing number of buyers will seek out the EcoLogo and UL Environment Sustainable Product Certification marks to identify products that are better for people and for our planet."

About TerraChoice

Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, TerraChoice combines science and business expertise to help genuine environmental leaders build market share and accelerate progress towards sustainability. Clients include Fortune 500 consumer packaged goods companies, energy conglomerates, green entrepreneurs and innovators, and more. The TerraChoice group of companies consists of TerraVeritas, sustainability validation services; the EcoLogo Program, third-party and multi-attribute certification; and TerraChoice Environmental Marketing, environmental marketing. More info: www.terrachoice.com.

About UL Environment

UL Environment (ULE) is a full-service environmental solutions company. UL Environment is helping support the growth and development of sustainable products, services and companies in the global marketplace through standards development, independent third-party assessment and certification and knowledge services. UL Environment is a wholly owned subsidiary of Underwriters Laboratories, a global leader in conformity assessment that has been testing products and writing standards for more than a century. UL Environment currently offers Environmental Claims Validation (ECV), a service testing and verifying manufacturers' self-declared environmental claims and Sustainable Products Certification (SPC), a service evaluating and certifying products to accepted industry standards for environmental sustainability and Energy Efficiency Certification (EEC), a service testing and verifying product compliance with mandatory and voluntary energy efficiency regulations and programs. UL Environment is developing additional environmental standards, as well as training and advisory services to support organizations in the sustainable products and services industry. More information is available at www.ulenvironment.com.

About ULC Standards

Founded in 1920, ULC Standards is a key architect of the Canadian National Safety System, administered by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC). ULC Standards' time-tested system supports governmental product safety regulations, and it complements federal, provincial, and municipal public safety initiatives. ULC also works with other governments and international safety systems to help further international trade with adherence to local and international safety requirements. Underwriters Laboratories Inc. plays an integral part in ULC Standards' business. For more information, go to www.ul.com/canada.

SOURCE ULC Standards