SSFTags

SSFtags: home | guidelines | list

[the concept]

The mission of Sustainable Style Foundation is to educate, support, and inspire people from all walks of life to make more sustainable lifestyle choices at home, at work, and at play. The SSFtags program enables your organization to communicate your commitment to sustainability to consumers.

[the tag]

SSFtag organizations are able to display the SSFtag logo in their communications. The SSFtag enables consumers to make more sustainable purchasing choices across a variety of lifestyle categories. SSFtags have proudly been displayed by organizations as diverse as interior design firms, film making companies, retailers, travel tour operators, and fitness companies. The SSFtag logo is a nationally certified trademark belonging to Sustainable Style Foundation.

[the benefits]

The Wall Street journal recently published research supporting what we all know—customers will pay a premium for products that are more sustainably produced. SSFtags are a tool to differentiate your organization from your non-sustainable competitors. SSFtags clearly communicate your unique value proposition—you provide a great product AND it’s sustainable. In today’s competitive market, SSFtags are more important than ever. They can help you attract a new set of customers, and help you retain your existing customers, by highlighting your sustainability efforts.

[the guidelines]

Organizations that have SSFtags meet criteria (we call them guidelines] in three categories: Human Rights/Social Compliance, Environment, and General Business Practices. SSF has also been working to create industry specific guidelines based on the “style industries” that we highlight. Currently in the works are guidelines for Film, Music, Fashion, Interior Design, Restaurants, & Wine. These guidelines provide a road map for the assessing an organization’s sustainability efforts, but also provide a road map for continual improvement.

[the process]

In several simple steps, and with guidance a long the way, your company could have its SSFTag within a few weeks.

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.

[participants]

SSF has been beta testing this program since 2005, and now after five years have a collective of organizations, businesses and projects that have benefited from is use. Moving forward, SSF plans to launch the program first nationwide, then world wide in 2012.

For more information, or to obtain an application, please email us at info@sustainablestyle.org or call the SSF offices at 206.324.4850.