Do GBB Membership fees cover full access to all member benefits, including complete assessment and certification access?
Yes. As a GBB member, your business will gain full access to all of GBB’s functionality and content, including all of the initiatives in GBB’s general business certification platform, along with any industry-specific that our relevant to your business. Your yearly membership has you covered!
My company is just starting out on its sustainability journey. Is GBB right for us?
Yes. GBB’s program is entirely initiative based, so companies all along the greening spectrum benefit from membership. Newly sustainable companies can achieve Green Aware status while they implement the initiatives they need to earn higher levels of certification with GBB. Most likely your company is already doing things that you should be getting credit for. The GBB assessment tool will insure that you do.
How were GBB's Greening Initiatives developed?
Working alongside environmental experts, GBB’s team conducted extensive research to design a program of initiatives specifically targeted to yield the highest impact. Our goal was to maximize the benefits for businesses and for the environment. From a financial and productivity standpoint, it makes sense for businesses to follow a strategic path toward eco-efficiency rather than risk resources with a haphazard approach. So when we developed our program, we always kept two key principles in mind: efficiency and optimization.
Our program of green initiatives is constantly evolving. We encourage member businesses to rank the effectiveness of existing initiatives and offer feedback and suggestions for how we can improve our initiatives.
How does becoming a GBB Member help my business?
GBB membership benefits its members in a wide variety of ways – from everyday practical green guidance to increasing your business’s green credibility. To learn more about the full range of benefits, please check out our Member Benefits and Member Stories pages.
Will being a recognized green business help my company attract and keep employees?
Simply put: yes. Recent reports show that 79% of prospective employees seek companies with a positive environmental message when considering employment. Moreover, 45% of employees say they’d be willing to accept 15% less money to work for a company with an eco-mission, while 96% of employees working for companies that actively seek to improve their sustainability report that those greening efforts have improved their relationship with the firm. The bottom line – greening helps attract, recruit, retain and build goodwill with employees for businesses of all kinds.
Is it really that important to customers that my business is green?
We know that 84% of consumers seek positive environmental commitment from the companies they do business with, and 80% of consumer now consider environmental factors before making a purchase. The numbers become even more compelling with younger consumers, as more than 90% of millennial consumers seek environmentally friendly choices.
Greening also represents a unique opportunity to engage with prospects and customers, as 61% of consumers report that they’ve already engaged with a company regarding environmental and social issues.
About the Process:
How long does it take to become GBB Certified?
GBB certification includes a small handful of simple baseline activities for your business to complete, after which your business will be recognized as ‘Green Aware’. This is the base level of GBB Certification and is most often achieved very quickly for committed Members.
What does the GBB mean when it says members get credit for green activities already completed?
GBB certification is a points-based program that recognizes and grants points for the green decisions a Member business has made prior to joining GBB, as well as the initiatives completed while a Member. If your business joins with a track record of making greener choices, chances are your business will earn a bunch of points before making any changes at all.
Will my business be able to display the GBB seal prior to completing GBB’s certification process?
Yes. We believe your membership itself sends a clear message to the marketplace that your business has made a commitment to greener business practices.
GBB certification includes a small handful of simple baseline activities for your business to complete, after which your business will be recognized as ‘Green Aware’ while you continue to strive for higher levels of GBB certification!
