If your company is Going Green, then I suggest that you put into your RFPs (Request for Proposal), bid requirements, and contract demands that any company doing business with your company must hold an "Audited Green Certification." 

Listen, anyone can fake Going Green for  a period of time.  There are even websites where phony "Green Business Certifications" are sold for a few hundred dollars and the submission a self-assessing form.  These programs are a sad joke on the purchasing public, and will eventually prove to be an embarrassment when the press looks at them with an investigative report.   Every bona fide Green or Sustainable business should prove up their environmental integrity by certification that requires an audit verification by an independent, national standard.

Even the EPA has proposed a "Environmentally Preferred Purchasing" protocol for businesses.  And, this does not mean taking the company's word that they are "Green."  One primary example of rampant Greenwashing is in the janitorial services.  The janitorial business is highly-competitive, cost conscious, and not above exaggerating their qualities to secure a contract to service your firm.  It is the nature of the business, and it is wise to know that their are two sides to nearly every business.  One is the sales representatives, and the other is the actual operation of the company.  Who hasn't found a huge divide between what the sales guy promised, and what was actually provided after the deal was signed.

So, as the contract for your building comes up, why not put this kind of language in your RFP or bid requirements:

"As an environmentally concerned business desirous to participate in the sustainable practices that impact our community and our world, our company requires all services and vendors to demonstrate similar environmental commitment by providing a Green business certification that comes from an audited verification by a national organization.  Concerns for Greenwashing and ethical application of sustainable practices encourages our company to require all vendors to comply with verified environmental compliance."

This simple inclusion in all contract will do more for the environmental cause than nearly any rule coming out of Washington, D.C.  We all know that this is no longer a casual commitment.  The environmental issues are a universal problem that requires universal participation.  By taking a page from the WalMart playbook, every business can play a powerful and important role in turning our world around.

Returning to the topic of the janitorial service, the industry standard is to solicit bids and award the contract to the lowest bidder.  The normal bid practice is to gloss over the Green issue by any means to capture the bid.   In most cases, a Green janitorial service's only claim to Green is the purchase of a few Green cleaning products or the use of HEPA vacuums.  How does anyone know if the company really knows or applies the dozens of Green tactics?   Worse yet, numerous janitorial services have invented their own Green insignia to falsely impress their customers with their Green credentials.