SSFtags
April 13th, 2006| SSFtags: home | guidelines | list |
[the concept]
The mission of SSF is to educate, support and inspire people from all walks of life to make more sustainable personal lifestyle choices at home, at work and at play. Launched in 2007, SSFtags is a consumer- and producer-friendly awareness program with an internationally recognized logo that indicates that a product, service, event, project, company or organization, etc. has incorporated sustainability into their efforts in some way.
- SSFtags encourage and enable consumers to make more sustainable purchasing choices across lifestyle categories, from fashion, food and film to interior design, architecture, travel, music and more
- SSFtags provide companies and/or organizations with a clear signal to consumers that their product, service, event, project, etc. has incorporated sustainability in some way
[the process]
Here’s how it works: your company or organization contacts SSF, we send you an application, you fill it out and send it back to us, we schedule a time to go over your application by phone or in person. After we finalize your evaluation and application, we’ll work with you to develop an SSFtag image that works best for you (e.g. to adorn your product, service, event, website, company or organization, etc). Et voila! Consumers know your product has a sustainable story behind it and your reputation’s benefits (as economists like to put it) go way up. SSFtags are renewable on a annual basis and subject to a re-evaluation before any tag can be renewed.
For more information, or to obtain an application, please email us at info@sustainablestyle.org or call the SSF offices at 206.324.4850.
[the guidelines]
SSFtag guidelines are based on a diverse and varied list of sustainable business practices and achievements. There are three categories: Human Rights/Social Compliance, Environment and Other Business Practices. Each product, business, event, organization or other applicant is evaluated on its awareness of and commitment to sustainability as defined by our guidelines, and receives an SSFtag endorsement with relative rankings (we use the SSF asterisk to define these rankings, rather than stars or levels) for each of the three categories. There are fifteen criteria in each of the three sections: three out of fifteen criteria met earns one asterisk; six criteria met earns two asterisks, and so forth. More information on the guidelines can be found by clicking here; learn more about the asterisk is below, and see the frequently asked questions for more details.
[the asterisk]
We rate each of our tag users on their overall commitment to sustainability in three categories, ranging from one asterisk to five asterisks. Ratings are based on percentage of applicable criteria that are currently in place, active, and documentable recognizing that some criteria in a category may not apply to all applicants (e.g. an event is not able to be listed on a socially responsible investment fund). See the SSFtag guidelines for more details on the qualifications for receiving a tag.
 
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ONE ASTERISK | Requires 20% of applicable criteria in category |
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TWO ASTERISKS | Requires 40% of applicable criteria in category |
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THREE ASTERISKS | Requires 60% of applicable criteria in category |
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FOUR ASTERISKS | Requires 80% of applicable criteria in category |
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FIVE ASTERISKS | Requires 100% of applicable criteria in category |
[the cost]
Each SSFtag is just a fraction of the yearly revenue for each product, service or event. Entire organizations or companies wishing to apply for an SSFtag can simply multiply their revenue x .1% or .001 to calculate their fee. For example, a company/organization with $1,000,000 in yearly revenue would pay a fee of $1,000 for an SSFtag.
| SSFtag project budget / revenue |
fee |
| < $250,000 | $250 |
| $250,001-$500,000 | $500 |
| $500,001-$1,000,000 | $1,000 |
| $1,000,001-$5,000,000 | $5,000 |
| $5,000,001-$10,000,000 | $10,000 |
| $10,000,000+ | $50,000 |
[the enforcement]
SSFtags are subject to a review process once per year, before any tag will be issued and before any tag will be reissued. If any applicant is found to have falsified SSFtag guideline criteria or is unable to provide documention on their efforts, SSF reserves the right to revoke and/or discontinue the issued tag immediately.
[faq]
Q: I’m not sure how some of the criteria relate to my work. How do I know which criteria my company/product/event/etc. qualifies for?
A: We’ll go over the application form with you over the phone or in person to determine which criteria you can claim. We may determine that some of the elements are not applicable. Please note your claims are subject to verification (e.g. if you have an organic or labor certification, we’ll need to see the official paperwork).
Q: What happens if I meet more criteria than I need for one asterisk, but fewer than I need for two? Do you round them up?
A: Not usually, no, but these questions can be considered on a case-by-case basis; often, we find that applicants qualify for some criteria they haven’t fully considered, which is why we take time to go over the application with you. Either way, we’ll insure that the SSFTag accurately and fairly reflects the positive sustainable work you’re doing.
Q: There are some things that my company/product/organization/event does that aren’t on your criteria list; do they count toward my Tag?
A: Sure! There is room for other attributes on each of the categories so we can discuss them in our application consultation.
