SCS Zero Waste Certification

1. Assess your baseline diversion rate. Calculate your current waste diversion percentage using the SCS formula: (diverted waste – residuals + prevented waste) / (total waste + prevented waste). Facilities need ≥50%, projects and events need ≥75% to be eligible.

1. Establish waste tracking systems. Ensure you have 12 months of documented waste data (for facilities) or full-duration records (for projects/events), covering all waste streams: recycling, composting, reuse, resale/donation, waste-to-energy, and hazardous waste.

1. Contact SCS Global Services. Reach out via the SCS website to request a quote and initiate the application process. SCS will scope the engagement based on the number of facilities, project type, or event parameters.

1. Submit documentation for desktop review. Provide waste diversion records, supporting third-party documentation (e.g., hauler receipts, recycling certificates), and evidence of each diversion pathway used. SCS auditors will conduct a remote/desktop review by default.

1. Undergo on-site audit if triggered. If the risk assessment built into SCS-110 flags your application (e.g., limited third-party supporting documentation), an on-site audit will be scheduled. Most applicants complete the process remotely.

1. Receive your certificate. Upon successful review, SCS issues a certificate stating your diversion percentage, each diversion method used, progress points year-over-year, and the 12-month certification period. Facilities achieving ≥99% diversion earn the "Zero Waste" claim.

1. Maintain certification annually. For facilities, submit updated 12-month waste data each year to renew. Projects and events are certified per occurrence; re-certification is required for subsequent events or project phases.

The SCS Zero Waste Certification evaluates the percentage of total waste diverted from landfill over a defined time period, using the SCS Certification Standard for Zero Waste (SCS-110). The core metric is the diversion rate, calculated as: (diverted waste – residuals + prevented waste) / (total waste + prevented waste). This formula is applied to all waste generated within the defined scope — the full 12-month period for facilities, the operator-defined period for projects, and the event duration for events.

Diversion Pathways Assessed: Auditors verify waste diverted through recycling, composting, reuse, reclamation, e-waste processing, sale/donation, and waste-to-energy. Waste-to-energy may count toward diversion up to a maximum of 25% of total waste. Hazardous waste diversion is also eligible and counted separately. Each pathway must be documented with supporting evidence (e.g., hauler manifests, recycling certificates, composting receipts).

Waste Prevention Credit: "Waste prevented through re-design" — materials no longer generated due to process changes (e.g., switching from single-use to reusable molds, or eliminating cardboard packaging) — is recognized and included in the diversion formula as "prevented waste." This rewards upstream reduction efforts, not just end-of-pipe diversion.

Certification Tiers: Facilities are certified at their actual diversion rate (minimum 50%), with the "Zero Waste" designation reserved for ≥99% diversion. Projects and events require ≥75% to be certified, with ≥99% earning the "Zero Waste" claim. The certificate transparently states the exact diversion percentage, each method used and its share, year-over-year progress points, whether any waste is currently stored on-site, and the certification period.

Verification Approach: SCS applies a risk-based audit model. Remote/desktop review is the default; on-site audits are triggered only when third-party supporting documentation is insufficient or other risk factors are identified under the SCS-110 risk assessment criteria. Multi-facility organizations can certify any subset of facilities, with each certified at its individual diversion rate.

The zero-waste-to-landfill certification market has grown substantially alongside corporate sustainability commitments and ESG reporting demands. SCS Zero Waste Certification competes primarily with TRUE Zero Waste (administered by Green Business Certification Inc./GBCI, the same body behind LEED), which is widely considered the market leader in the U.S. and has certified hundreds of facilities across manufacturing, retail, and hospitality. TRUE's brand recognition and integration with the GBCI ecosystem gives it a strong foothold, particularly among companies already pursuing LEED or WELL certifications. SCS Zero Waste differentiates itself through its risk-based auditing model (reducing costs for multi-facility operators), its explicit allowance for waste-to-energy and hazardous waste diversion, and its lower entry threshold of 50% diversion versus TRUE's more demanding requirements.

SCS Global Services itself is a well-established, ANAB-accredited third-party certifier with a broad portfolio spanning food safety, forestry, sustainable agriculture, and recycled content — giving it credibility across industrial and manufacturing sectors where zero-waste programs are most active. The SCS-110 standard's consolidation of facilities, projects, and events under a single framework is a practical advantage for organizations managing diverse operational footprints. However, SCS Zero Waste has lower public brand recognition than TRUE among general consumers and retail audiences, which may matter for companies seeking consumer-facing marketing value.

Demand for zero-waste certifications is being driven by corporate net-zero pledges, SEC climate disclosure rules, and retailer sustainability scorecards (e.g., Walmart's Project Gigaton). Manufacturing, automotive, and consumer goods sectors have been early adopters. The program is globally available, though adoption is most concentrated in North America. As landfill diversion regulations tighten in the EU and parts of Asia-Pacific, international demand is expected to grow. Organizations should weigh SCS Zero Waste against TRUE based on their industry, existing certification ecosystem, and whether consumer-facing badge recognition or operational flexibility is the higher priority.

SCS Global Services launched the SCS Zero Waste Certification program in 2021, building on its decades-long history as a third-party sustainability certifier founded in 1984. The program was developed in response to growing corporate demand for credible, third-party-verified zero-waste claims, as self-reported diversion rates and internal sustainability pledges faced increasing scrutiny from investors, regulators, and consumers. SCS developed the SCS Certification Standard for Zero Waste (SCS-110) as the technical backbone of the program, drawing on established waste accounting methodologies and aligning with the broader zero-waste movement's principles of reuse, reduction, and diversion from landfill.

A notable evolution of the program was the consolidation of three previously separate standards — covering facilities, events, and projects — into the unified SCS-110 standard. This streamlined the certification landscape for organizations with diverse operational scopes and reduced administrative complexity for multi-scope applicants. The program's risk-based auditing approach, which defaults to remote review and triggers on-site audits only when warranted, was a deliberate design choice to make third-party certification economically viable for organizations with large facility portfolios. SCS Global Services is accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) under ISO 17065, lending the program formal accreditation credibility within the broader conformity assessment ecosystem.