Creating universal standards for sustainable products may not be the sexiest topic, but the stakes are high for brands eager to break into the fast-growing green market. At a recent industry event, U.S. Green Building Council founder Mike Italiano unveiled a new certification standard that he’s positioning as LEED for the LOHAS segment. By John Marshall Roberts

U.S. Green Business Council founder and LEED certification pioneer Mike Italiano has unveiled his latest brainchild: the SMaRT (Sustainable Materials Rating Technology) product certification standard. At a recent awards ceremony hosted by TreePeople of Los Angeles, Italiano briefed attendees on the value of solid, widely recognized sustainability metrics – and why he thinks SMaRT is poised to take the LEED across nearly every product category.

Here were the key takeaways:

Universal sustainability standards are vital for creating new markets. Without a universal standard, it is nearly impossible for consumers to determine the relative environmental merits of two competing products. Much like the LEED certification for buildings, the new SMaRT rating system solves this problem by creating one universal, independently audited metric that can cover products in almost every product category. The result? Sustainable brands will be able to derive a direct competitive advantage from their sustainable policies and practices.

Authentic sustainability certifications are the antidote to greenwashing. The number of eco-product certification labels is now estimated to be over 200 strong and growing! But what do all of these labels mean? The truth is, many of these certifications are suspect - clever ways that industry associations have learned to create an impression of sustainability without doing the hard work. A fair, comprehensive standard lets purchasers cut through all of this green noise and make more informed product choices.

Credible sustainability standards must be accessible, comprehensive and transparent. A certification standard is only as good as the processes used to derive and maintain it. Quality standards must be generated by consensus from open committees. They must take into account the entire product life-cycle from raw materials extraction to end-consumer use and reclamation. They must also rely on documented, quantified data that is audited and accredited by independent organizations. Of the many competing standards in today’s marketplace, LEED and SMaRT most fully meet these three criteria, according to Italiano.

Leadership from visionary brands will be critical for mass adoption. Being first takes courage, but has huge advantages. Furniture company Knoll and textile research company Milliken have lead the charge to become truly sustainable brands by SMaRT certifying their products, giving them a leg up on competitors and enhanced brand equity (not to mention increased profitability due to more efficient work processes). Once a critical number of brand leaders choose to follow this standard, mass adoption is soon to follow, and advantages to brand leaders will skyrocket.

Industry (not government) must lead the way. The era of waiting around for politicians to fix our economic and ecological problems is over. Sustainable solutions rest in the hands of corporate leaders with the courage to confront the complex challenges that confront us, and the wisdom to respond prudently.

At the end of the day, says Italiano, credible, universal sustainability standards will provide a new context in which free-market capitalism can be harnessed to create breakthrough financial opportunities that simultaneously serve personal, social, and planetary bottom-lines. What could be more exciting (and sustainable) than that?

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John Marshall Roberts is strategic communications consultant at Evenson Design Group.