TRUE-Precertified construction site Genesis Marina in Brisbane, California. Image courtesy of Webcor.
As 2022 winds to a close, we are reflecting on TRUE's growth during the past year.
To date, over 498 projects and more than 177 million gross square feet of space have registered or certified with TRUE, covering 46 U.S. states and 33 countries. More than 1,800 TRUE Advisors have received their certificate and are helping further that work across the world. It's not just our internal compass that is pointed toward a zero waste future, either; plenty of industry attention is focused on the opportunities of a circular economy. A recent article in Architecture magazine discussed the importance of zero waste offices and TRUE has been included in the WorldGBC catalog of circular solutions.
New pathways to zero waste progress
This growth is due in part to the scale at which companies are making commitments to achieve zero waste, net zero carbon and other environmental benchmarks. Third-party certification is one of the most rigorous ways to demonstrate compliance, and we are seeing a strong commitment from portfolios certifying with TRUE. Another exciting development has been the inclusion of sports arenas into TRUE, using both event and operational certification. Kick-started by the first construction site precertification from Genesis Marina, TRUE launched a Construction pilot to meet the demand for zero waste construction strategies—an industry predicting quick growth in 2023.
Streamlining for easier certification
We’ve also focused on simplifying the certification process for teams.
TRUE welcomed new members to the TRUE Advisory Council to provide industry expertise and leadership, and TRUE’s certification team developed new resources and tools to support the process using feedback from the community. These can all be found on our website, including a sample resources toolkit, rating system addenda document and special series of training videos that will keep you up to date on all things TRUE.
Wherever you are in your zero waste journey, we thank you for including TRUE as part of your process. We are honored to facilitate such impactful work in companies and facilities of all shapes, sizes and purposes. Plus, the year’s not over just yet: If you live in the New York City area, join us for a TRUE Advisor meetup on Dec. 15 in Brooklyn. Happy holidays!