Off the Grid - Self Declared is one of the declarations under the Ekko Score Energy, Utility & Building Standard.Off the Grid - Self Declared traders create products or supply services, sustained completely from their own sources of power and water. This generally means that they operate autonomously from the utilities and government supplied water, sewer, gas and electricity. They generate their own electricity and collect, recycle and reuse their own water and waste. In the most complete cases, 'Off the Grid - Self Declared' extends to the trader's own food supply as well, but the context for this certification is the conditions under which the product or service being is offered for sale - not the trader's entire living decisions.
Businesses who produce products while living off the grid become by default an example to others of what is possible. Living off the grid teaches you how to become environmentally responsible by gaining practical knowledge through working on the land, growing vegetables, rearing animals, conserving and recycling materials, using alternate fuels, learning how to manage water, waste management, including making compost, curing manure and implementing a way of controlling pests naturally.
Off the Grid - Self Declared sits in the UTILITIES Family under the Environmental Standard: Energy, Utility & Building of Ekko Score. One set of weighted Ekko Score points are gathered from each Family.
These are the claimable declarations & certifications under the Environmental Standard: Energy, Utility & Building. Please note that different certifications and declarations may be relevant to each category.
Yes, where the impact of the claim is similar. This is how it works.
IMPORTANTLY, SELF DECLARATIONS ARE GOVERNED BY CONSUMER LAW. IT IS AGAINST THE LAW FOR BUSINESSES TO MAKE FALSE CLAIMS (INCLUDING IMPLIED CLAIMS IN A CONTEXT LIKE EKKO SCORE).
EVEN IF A PRODUCT HAS A FORMAL CERTIFICATION, THAT CERTIFICATION DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ENTIRE INTEGRITY OF THE PRODUCT'S MAKE UP.
An example might be a Handmade, Australian, Certified Organic chocolate that contains Palm Oil. Under Ekko Score, this product would claim Certified Organic and would self declare: Zero Waste Production and Australian made, but could not claim the No Palm Oil declaration. This would mean a lower score under the No Exploitation Standard, making the inclusion of Palm Oil clear to potential consumers, without detracting from its other assets.
No product is perfect, but some products are definitely better than others. Ekko Score allows you to make the best decision you can, or to put it another way, the least worst decision. And to make that decision with the confidence of not being green washed. Find out more about how Ekko Score works.