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GBCI is excited to announce the release of the first set of addenda to the TRUE rating system. These addenda are official updates to the rating system and are now available in an addenda table on our Resources page. The addenda table will be updated once a quarter as needed, so keep an eye out for future articles and notifications as we work to help TRUE grow and improve.
What are addenda?
Addenda are official updates that incorporate changes and improvements to the TRUE rating system and other published guidance documents to help clarify, correct, interpret or provide alternative language. Addenda should be referred to in conjunction with the TRUE rating system and other published guidance documents.
With future versions of the rating system, addenda will be incorporated into that update. Addenda are designed to be a midway step to an official version update, to address needed changes to the rating system.
What has been updated in the Q1 2022 addenda release?
This first addenda release includes 13 updates to the TRUE rating system, two updates to the TRUE Precertification Guidance, and one update to the TRUE Technical Guidance for Events. Within these, there are two key updates:
- The removal of Minimum Program Requirement 4: Projects are no longer required to provide data documenting a base year of waste diversion data and measurements.
- The update of Zero Waste Reporting Credit 4, to replace the EPA’s WasteWise program (which has been discontinued) with alternate benchmarking platforms such as the Arc platform.
Be sure to view a complete list of updates in the TRUE v1 addenda table.
Why is the base year data minimum program requirement being removed?
The base year data requirement is being removed after receiving extensive market feedback and undergoing careful deliberation with TRUE stakeholders. This information is still valuable for understanding past performance, and project teams are still encouraged to collect base year data when available. However, requiring 24 months of data (12 months of base year, plus an additional 12 months showing 90% minimum diversion) created an inadvertent barrier to entry for high-performing projects that have at least 12 months of performance data demonstrating compliance with diversion requirements.
As such, the decision was made to remove the requirement that this base year of data be gathered to pursue TRUE certification. Twelve months of diversion performance data is still required to demonstrate achievement of zero waste goals, and this requirement will continue to act as a cornerstone of the certification.
How will this affect me or my project?
Projects that are registered after the date the addenda are published (in this case, April 1, 2022), must comply with the requirements in the addenda. Projects that were registered before the date that the addenda are published are not required to comply with addenda published after their registration date.
While it is strongly recommended that project teams also follow addenda published after their registration date, these projects are only required to meet the rating system requirements in place at the time of their registration.
Projects that have not yet registered will be required to comply with any addenda published before they submit their registration. To determine what requirements will apply to your project, reference both the TRUE rating system and the addenda table. Addenda are listed by publication date, and this date should be used to inform project teams on what they are required to follow.
Want to know more?
Visit our updated Help page for more information about the specifics of the addenda process moving forward, or check out the TRUE v1 addenda table to understand all the updates that have been made.