Best Waste Reduction & Circular Economy Certifications

Waste and circular economy certifications help buildings, organizations, and products demonstrate commitment to reducing waste, increasing recycling, and designing for reuse. As circular economy principles reshape business models, these programs provide credible verification of zero waste goals and material circularity.

10 programs ranked·Updated March 2026

TRUE Certification

Green Business Certification Inc.

TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency) certification from GBCI. The leading zero waste certification for buildings and organizations, requiring facilities to divert at least 90% of waste from landfill.

For Buildings

From $350View Details

SCS Zero Waste Certification

SCS Global Services

SCS Global Services' zero waste certification for facilities, events, and projects. Verifies waste diversion rates and sustainable materials management practices through third-party auditing.

For Events

From $2,500View Details

Recycled Content Certified

GreenCircle

GreenCircle's third-party verification that products contain the claimed percentage of recycled materials. Provides credible, data-backed recycled content claims for marketing and procurement.

For Products

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SCS Recycled Content Certified

SCS Global Services

SCS Global Services' certification verifying the percentage of pre-consumer and post-consumer recycled content in products. Widely used in building materials and packaging.

For Products

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Recycled Claim Standard 100

Textile Exchange

Textile Exchange's certification for products made from 100% recycled materials. Tracks recycled materials through the supply chain from input to final product.

For Products

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OK Compost

Vincotte

TÜV Austria's certification verifying that products and packaging are industrially compostable. OK Compost ensures materials fully biodegrade in industrial composting facilities.

For Buildings

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OK Compost HOME

Vincotte

Certifies products and packaging that fully biodegrade in home composting conditions — a stricter standard than industrial composting since home compost operates at lower temperatures.

For Buildings

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Waste Diversion from Landfill Certified

GreenCircle

GreenCircle's verification of an organization's waste diversion rate. Certifies the percentage of waste diverted from landfill through recycling, composting, and waste-to-energy programs.

For Organizations

From $0View Details

Zero Waste to Landfill Certified

GreenCircle

Certifies organizations that have achieved zero waste to landfill status. Verifies that virtually no waste from operations is sent to landfills through comprehensive diversion programs.

For Organizations

From $3,000View Details

R2/RIOS Certified Electronics Recycler

Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc.

The leading certification for responsible electronics recycling. R2/RIOS verifies that e-waste recyclers handle materials safely, protect worker health, and manage data security.

For Products

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How we rank these certifications

Rankings are based on global market adoption, third-party recognition by standards bodies, number of certified projects or holders, geographic availability, and rigor of assessment requirements. Data is sourced from each program's official registry and our database of 748+ certification programs.