Good housekeeping announces the first products to earn the green good housekeeping seal

After more than 18 months of research and development, the first products to earn the new Green Good Housekeeping Seal were announced. The Green Good Housekeeping Seal (GGHS), an environmental extension of the brand’s well-known primary Seal, is designed to set a mainstream bar for consumers who wish to live a greener lifestyle. The first categories to be introduced are beauty and cleaning products and AVEENO Soothing Bath Treatment, Physicians Formula’s Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Tinted Moisturizer, Green Works’ Natural Bathroom Cleaner, Nature’s Source Laundry Stain Remover, Nature’s Source Glass & Surface Cleaner, Nature’s Source All Purpose Cleaner, and Nature’s Source Natural Bathroom Cleaner are the first products to earn the magazine’s environmental emblem.

The scientists and engineers at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute worked with Brown & Wilmanns Environmental, one of the nation’s leading green consultants, as well as other environmental experts, to establish criteria for the Green Good Housekeeping Seal. A summary of the lengthy and detailed application for the GGHS can be found at www.GoodHousekeeping.com/GreenGHSeal.

Before being considered for the GGHS, a product must pass evaluations for the primary Good Housekeeping Seal, which evaluates claims and measures efficacy to ensure it performs as promised, and also represents a limited two-year warranty from Good Housekeeping. If the product passes, it is then reviewed using more in-depth environmental criteria, including the reduction of water use in manufacturing, energy efficiency in manufacturing and product use, ingredient and product safety, packaging reduction, and the brand’s corporate social responsibility.

“The Good Housekeeping Seal was originally created to protect consumers from potentially dangerous products and false claims,” said Rosemary Ellis, editor-in-chief of Good Housekeeping. “Today our readers are interested in making choices that are healthier for their families and for the planet, so we’re continuing our legacy of consumer advocacy with the Green Good Housekeeping Seal, offering consumers a guide, backed by scientific research, for products making significant steps towards being environmentally sound.”

Products with the Green Good Housekeeping Seal, since they have also earned the primary Good Housekeeping Seal, carry a limited warranty: If the product proves to be defective within two years of purchase, Good Housekeeping will replace the item or refund the consumer. 

"There is an overwhelming number of products making green claims in today’s market,” said Miriam Arond, director of the Good Housekeeping Research Institute.  “We are recognizing mainstream products making significant efforts in the right direction, and as advances are constantly being made in sustainability efforts, we will continue to reevaluate our green criteria on a regular basis."