Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), the premier global organization independently recognizing excellence in green business industry performance and practice, announced it has surpassed 1,000 TRUE Advisors. TRUE Advisors are zero waste professionals who are integral in helping facilities achieve TRUE certification and are experts in supporting and implementing zero waste policies and programs across companies. There are now 1,022 professionals in 43 countries who have achieved the TRUE Advisor designation from GBCI.

“TRUE focuses on helping buildings, businesses and communities strengthen their commitment to resource management. The transition to a truly circular economy will require us to challenge everything we’ve been taught about waste and begin viewing our materials or trash as a resource rather than something to simply discard,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO of GBCI, U.S. Green Building Council and Arc. “The TRUE Rating System and TRUE Advisors will be instrumental in helping guide this transition and in supporting businesses and communities to rethink old assumptions and redesign processes to ensure that all resources are valued for their best use.”

TRUE Advisors possess the knowledge necessary to divert and document waste from landfills, incineration (waste-to-energy) and the environment. They are trained in the TRUE Rating System and can lead facilities through the TRUE certification process. TRUE is the first zero waste certification dedicated to measuring, improving and recognizing zero waste performance of facilities by encouraging the adoption of sustainable waste management and reduction practices that contribute to positive environmental, health and economic outcomes.

“Hitting this tremendous milestone during what has been a difficult year gives me great hope that people see a bright, sustainable future ahead,” continued Ramanujam. “We will continue to double down on our work to mitigate climate change using every resource available to us.”

As GBCI continues to prioritize efforts to build people’s trust that their spaces are healthy and have a positive impact not only on them but the economy at large, TRUE provides important pathways to achieve this—from a health and wellness, resilience, equity and economic standpoint. TRUE also gives corporations the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to zero waste as responsible stewards of the environment and train employees, at all levels, so they can become stakeholders in their program’s success.

A TRUE project’s goal is to divert all solid waste from the landfill, incineration and the environment. Facilities achieve certification by meeting an average of 90% or greater overall waste diversion over a period of 12 months, as well as implementing minimum program requirements within the TRUE Rating System. Currently, there are more than 250 registered and certified TRUE projects, totaling over 107 million square feet of space across 18 countries. Global organizations are deploying TRUE as their zero waste management system to standardize implementation practices in their operations and streamline their educational efforts to onboard their staff. This includes Colgate-Palmolive, which has certified 17 manufacturing facilities in nine countries on four continents to TRUE and has committed to certifying 100% of their global operations to TRUE. To learn more about how companies are utilizing TRUE to support zero waste goals, visit true.gbci.org.