The October 2022 quarterly TRUE rating system and guidance addenda are now available. To view the changes, visit the addenda table and search for 10/1/22.
This release includes an update to the submittal documents section for a number of credits within the TRUE rating system to support TRUE’s transition away from conducting on-site assessments for every facility and to ensure credits can be fully verified with the updated documentation-based review process. A few key points:
- The addition of a General Project Information section to assist project teams in developing and providing a more complete picture of their zero waste site and program. These requirements include providing a site map with labeled service collection containers, photographs of collection spaces and a narrative that summarizes the project. GBCI will be releasing sample images of these requirements soon to help set project teams up for success in developing a better understanding of their site as a whole.
- The addition and modification of photographic evidence requirements in several credits to better illustrate credit compliance.
Alongside this update, GBCI released an updated redline version of the existing TRUE rating system document to support project teams in visualizing the full rating system with all addenda applied. This resource will be updated annually with all the previous addenda, so be sure to keep an eye out for updates to this resource!
What happened to on-site assessments?
In mid-2021, GBCI updated the standard TRUE certification process to comprise two rounds of documentation review, with no intermediate step for site assessment. While this change was initially made in response to COVID-19, the change was made permanent to increase the efficiency of reviews for customers and to reduce our environmental impact from travel.
Project teams continue to have the option of requesting a conference call with their assessor to facilitate real-time discussion. Additionally, while on-site assessments will not be conducted for every facility, GBCI may perform on-site audits on select projects for quality assurance purposes.
To ensure GBCI can perform a comprehensive assessment of certification applications in lieu of the site assessment, additional documentation is being added via this addenda to provide a more robust understanding of on-site practices for each project pursuing TRUE certification.
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.
Want to know more?
Visit our updated Help page for more information about the specifics of the addenda process and how it may impact your project, or check out the TRUE v1 addenda table to understand all the updates that have been made.