Clear definitions for the certifications and labels you'll see on ethical products.
Neither the finished product nor its ingredients were tested on animals.
Certifies products designed for circularity — material health, reuse, renewable energy, water and social fairness.
A brand or product whose climate impact is balanced by offsets — credible only with verified, additional offsets.
An economic model where products and materials are reused, repaired, refurbished or recycled — minimizing waste.
A tradable credit representing one tonne of CO₂ reduced, avoided or removed.
The same word can mean radically different things depending on who's using it. 'Natural' has no legal definition; 'organic' has a strict one. Knowing which terms are certified, which are self-declared and which are pure marketing is the fastest way to spot greenwashing.
Not always — 'carbon-neutral', 'plastic-free' and 'biodegradable' can be genuine, but they require the brand to publish methodology and third-party audits. If the claim doesn't link to evidence, treat it as marketing.
Definitions are updated whenever a certifier's standards change, a new label emerges or a term gets legally redefined. Each entry lists its source so you can verify.
| Term type | Examples | Verifiable? | How we treat it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certified standard | GOTS, B Corp, Leaping Bunny, FSC | Yes — public registry | Credited in Brand & Trust |
| Measurable attribute | Recycled content %, repairability, refillable | Yes — from specs | Feeds Quality and Experience |
| Regulated claim | Organic (food), cruelty-free (some markets) | Partly — jurisdiction dependent | Credited where the regulation applies |
| Unregulated adjective | Eco-friendly, green, natural, clean | No | Ignored in scoring, flagged on the page |
| Aspirational pledge | Carbon neutral by 2040, net positive | No — future promise | Noted as context, never scored |
Ask who verified the statement. If the answer is the brand itself, treat the claim as an intention rather than a fact.
Vague terms rarely survive quantification. '60% post-consumer recycled' is checkable; 'made with recycled materials' is not.
Carbon-neutral claims usually cover a subset of emissions. The interesting detail is always what was left outside the boundary.
Terms mean different things across categories — 'biodegradable' in packaging and in textiles imply completely different timescales and conditions.
Has no regulatory definition in most product categories. Crude oil is natural; so is arsenic.
Meaningless without conditions and a timeframe. Many 'biodegradable' plastics need industrial composting that most consumers cannot access.
Often means offset rather than reduced, and offsets vary enormously in quality and permanence.
Implies a safety assessment that usually has not happened. Look for EWG Verified or a published ingredient hazard screen instead.
Because they are unverifiable. Including them would let marketing spend, rather than evidence, move a score.
No. Where a regulated definition exists in a major market we say so and follow it; otherwise these are the working definitions used in our scoring.
Whenever a relevant standard, certification scheme or regulation changes, and on a rolling review of the terms appearing most often in new product data.