TRUE Zero Waste Precertification: A New Path For All
Written by Denise Braun
5 min read
Are you the owner of a commercial property that has considered pursuing the TRUE Zero Waste certification, however your diversion rate is nowhere near the required 90%? Perhaps you’re a factory owner who is zero waste curious but you’re not sure how to go about developing a comprehensive zero waste plan. Many of our clients have expressed a keen interest in zero waste principles, yet for one reason or another they feel that they haven’t covered enough bases necessary to take the first step toward the TRUE certification.
Well, good news!! GBCI has recently rolled out its TRUE Precertification program, which is designed to recognize those projects that have laid the initial groundwork for pursuing zero waste, yet feel that they’re not quite ready to dive right into the TRUE certification process. Precertification is an optional step and is not required to achieve TRUE certification. It allows for an incremental pathway toward formal certification for those who have stepped up to the water’s edge, dipped their toe, but still haven’t taken the plunge. Some of the highlights include:
Precertification is valid for three years - allowing for ample time to formulate a roadmap that best fits your project’s operational needs.
There is no minimum diversion rate required until the project pursues TRUE certification (any project that suffers from a relatively low diversion rate will have plenty of time to improve performance levels).
Minimum Program Requirements (MPR’s) and credit information (see below) provided during precertification will be applied to a project’s future TRUE certification, wherever applicable.
To qualify for the TRUE Precertification program, the project must demonstrate compliance with, or provide the strategies that will be used to achieve a list of five Minimum Program Requirements (MPR”s) and nine credits from the TRUE rating system, many of which have been modified to be less stringent during the precertification phase in order to allow for a project to incrementally improve its performance in preparation for formal certification.
At All About Waste, our clients range from large commercial real estate companies with a vast portfolio of properties to small start-ups who are extremely forward thinking when it comes to waste management. Many of their properties or facilities are often on the right track to zero waste, but lack some of the ingredients necessary to achieve the TRUE certification, and as a result they have postponed the idea, or scrapped it altogether. We are so happy to see that the GBCI has recognized that this is a common occurrence and as a remedy has established the Precertification Program. It will inevitably make the decision easier for anyone who has been on the fence about TRUE certification. It is now more important than ever to adhere to the TRUE principles of minimizing resource consumption, preventing waste, and redesigning material life cycles so that all residual materials are reused in a closed loop. See below some additional information on the benefits of going zero waste, as well as a comparison chart that outlines the differences between the TRUE Certification and Precertification processes.
Why should I prioritize zero waste for my building?
Many zero waste solutions and practices have a quick return on investment
Reduce operational costs on procurement and hauling. It’s a win win situation!
Create jobs
Promotes regenerative economy and circularity solutions
Increase your ESG score
Reduce your carbon emissions
What is TRUE Zero Waste?
TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency) is a comprehensive certification program recognizing facilities for minimizing resource consumption, preventing waste, and redesigning material life cycles so that all residual materials are reused in a closed loop. TRUE was developed as a leadership standard to recognize sites that have defined and achieved their zero waste goals, making positive impacts on people, the environment, and the economy locally and globally. However, leadership is not confined to those that have reached zero waste. Leadership is taking the first step, and all the steps that follow.
What is TRUE Zero Waste Precertification?
TRUE Zero Waste Precertification recognizes projects which have implemented the fundamental actions and policies needed to effectively pursue zero waste and have demonstrated a commitment to achieving TRUE certification. As such, precertification is available to all projects regardless of the level of diversion performance that has been achieved. It is an optional, incremental pathway to formal certification that prioritizes the core actions essential to getting a successful start: auditing, analyzing, and aspiring to zero waste. As precertification is an optional step and is not required for TRUE certification, project teams may choose to skip precertification and pursue TRUE certification directly, if they are ready. The information outlined below offers details on the requirements and how to achieve precertification using the TRUE rating system.
