Green Seal - Facilities

1. Review applicable standards: Identify the relevant Green Seal standard for your facility or service type — most cleaning and janitorial services fall under GS-42 (Green Seal Standard for Commercial and Institutional Cleaning Services). Download the standard from greenseal.org and conduct a self-assessment against its requirements.

1. Contact Green Seal: Reach out to Green Seal's certification team to discuss your organization's scope, applicable standard, and the certification process. They will provide a fee schedule and application materials tailored to your operation.

1. Submit a formal application: Complete and submit the application form along with initial documentation, including company information, service scope, and a preliminary description of your cleaning protocols and products used.

1. Compile documentation: Prepare a comprehensive documentation package including product formulations or Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for all cleaning chemicals used, operational procedures, staff training records, and environmental management practices aligned to the standard's criteria.

1. Undergo document review: Green Seal staff will conduct a desk review of your submitted documentation to verify compliance with the standard's requirements. You may be asked to provide additional information or clarify submissions during this phase.

1. Schedule and complete on-site audit: An authorized third-party auditor will conduct an on-site inspection of your facility operations. This includes a facility walkthrough, review of records, and interviews with staff to verify that documented practices are implemented in practice.

1. Address non-conformances: If any gaps or non-conformances are identified during the audit, you will receive a report outlining required corrective actions. These must be resolved and verified before certification can be granted.

1. Receive certification and display the mark: Upon successful completion, Green Seal issues your certification and you gain the right to display the Green Seal mark on marketing materials, contracts, and service documentation. Maintain compliance through annual renewal audits.

Green Seal's Facilities certification — primarily governed by GS-42 (Green Seal Standard for Commercial and Institutional Cleaning Services) — evaluates organizations across several key performance areas. The standard assesses the environmental and health profile of all cleaning products used on-site, requiring that chemicals meet ingredient safety thresholds, avoid hazardous substances, and carry recognized ecolabels or equivalent documentation. Product formulations are scrutinized for restricted substances including carcinogens, reproductive toxins, and persistent bioaccumulative chemicals.

Operational practices are a central focus of the assessment. Auditors evaluate whether the cleaning service provider has implemented a formal Green Cleaning Program, including written policies, staff training protocols, and documented procedures for dilution control, product storage, and waste management. The standard also examines equipment maintenance practices, including the use of HEPA-filter vacuums and microfiber systems that reduce chemical use and improve indoor air quality.

Staff training and management systems are assessed to confirm that all cleaning personnel receive documented training on green cleaning principles, product handling, and health and safety procedures. Communication practices — such as how the service provider informs building occupants and clients about their green cleaning program — are also reviewed. Finally, continuous improvement expectations require certified organizations to track performance metrics and demonstrate ongoing commitment to reducing environmental impact over time.

Green Seal is one of the oldest and most recognized ecolabels in North America, having pioneered the ecolabeling movement in the United States since 1989. In the facilities and cleaning services sector, Green Seal certification — particularly under GS-42 — is widely referenced in green procurement specifications issued by federal agencies, state governments, school districts, and healthcare systems. The U.S. General Services Administration and numerous municipal governments include Green Seal as an accepted or preferred certification in their purchasing requirements, giving it strong institutional credibility.

In the cleaning products and services market, Green Seal competes primarily with UL's ECOLOGO certification and the EPA's Safer Choice program. ECOLOGO has broader international recognition, particularly in Canada, while Safer Choice focuses more narrowly on chemical ingredient safety. Green Seal's GS-42 standard is distinctive in that it certifies the entire cleaning service operation — not just individual products — making it particularly relevant for janitorial contractors and facility service providers seeking to differentiate their service offering. LEED v4 and v4.1 reference Green Seal-certified products as a pathway to earning credits under the Indoor Environmental Quality category, which has been a significant driver of adoption.

Market demand for green cleaning certifications has grown steadily alongside broader ESG and healthy buildings trends, particularly post-COVID as indoor air quality and occupant health have become higher priorities for building owners and operators. However, the certification remains most concentrated in the institutional and commercial cleaning sector in North America, with more limited penetration in smaller businesses or international markets. Organizations pursuing WELL Building Standard or Fitwel certifications may also find Green Seal certification complementary to those frameworks.

Green Seal was founded in 1989 in Washington, D.C., as one of the world's first nonprofit ecolabeling organizations. It was established in response to growing consumer and institutional demand for credible, science-based environmental claims at a time when "greenwashing" was becoming a significant concern. Green Seal's founders sought to create a rigorous, third-party certification system that would allow purchasers to identify genuinely environmentally preferable products and services. The organization modeled its approach on the German Blue Angel ecolabel, one of the earliest government-backed environmental labels globally.

Over the following decades, Green Seal expanded its standards portfolio from consumer products into institutional and commercial cleaning services, publishing the GS-42 standard for cleaning services and GS-37 for cleaning products. These standards became foundational references in U.S. green procurement policy and were incorporated into LEED rating systems as recognized pathways for earning indoor environmental quality credits. Green Seal has periodically updated its standards to reflect advances in toxicology, ingredient transparency requirements, and evolving environmental science. By the 2010s, Green Seal had certified hundreds of products and services across North America and established itself as a trusted third-party mark for government, healthcare, education, and hospitality sectors.