5 signals · each worth 20 points · total out of 100. We score relative to what's actually possible — eco is hard.
1
Claims and Disclosure
Worth up to 20 pts
Are claims specific and verifiable? "80% recycled content, third-party verified" beats "eco-friendly" every time. Vague language is cheap. Published data is valuable.
2
Certifications
Worth up to 20 pts
B Corp. USDA Organic. Fair Trade. EPA Safer Choice. These have real audit requirements. A leaf logo the company designed themselves does not count.
3
Packaging Lifecycle
Worth up to 20 pts
Not just "is it recyclable" — the full picture. A lightweight flexible bag beats a glass jar on total impact. Bulk format, concentrate, and refillable score highest. Glass feels premium but ships heavy.
4
Ingredient Impact
Worth up to 20 pts
What is actually in it, and how was it made? For food: fewer recognizable ingredients, less processing, organic on high-risk crops. One organic ingredient plus 15 additives does not score well here.
5
Supply Chain
Worth up to 20 pts
Where was it made and how did it get here? Clean ingredients shipped globally with no offset cap this signal. Short chains, published Scope 3 data, and verified supplier standards score highest.
The scope breakdown
"Scope" is the industry word for how far out you look when counting a company's emissions — from their own building, to the power they buy, to every farm and factory that touched the product before it reached you.
S1
Scope 1 — Direct ops
Their factories, their trucks, their direct burn.
S2
Scope 2 — Purchased energy
The electricity and heat they buy to run operations.
S3
Scope 3 — Everything upstream
The farms, ingredients, suppliers, shipping. Usually 70-90% of the real footprint — and almost never on the label. This is where the story lives.
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AI searches the web to answer your questions — real facts, no greenwashing.
Built on top of USDA Organic. Adds soil carbon sequestration, animal welfare, and farmer economic resilience. The newest and most comprehensive.
Scope: Organic + soil carbon + farmer welfare
B Corp Certified
Company
The whole company is audited — workers, community, environment, governance. Not just one product or one claim. Renewed every 3 years.
Scope: Entire company · Workers · Community
Fair Trade USA
Farm
Audits that farmers receive fair wages and safe conditions. Means the premium you pay reaches the people who grew it.
Scope: Farmer wages · Working conditions · Community
Silver — Real testing, specific scope
Verified but narrower
Non-GMO Verified
Testing
Third-party testing confirms no GMO ingredients. Does not cover pesticides, farming practices, or soil health. A start, not the whole story.
Scope: GMO absence only
Rainforest Alliance
Farm
Farm-level audit covering environment and worker welfare. Variable rigor — some farms meet higher standards than others. Better than nothing, not as strong as organic.
Scope: Environment + worker welfare (variable)
EPA Safer Choice
Ingredients
EPA reviews every ingredient for safety to people and aquatic life. The real standard for cleaning products. Better than marketing claims on cleaning.
Scope: Cleaning + personal care ingredients
Certified Humane
Farm
Animal welfare standards for farms raising livestock and poultry. Third-party audited. More meaningful than "cage-free" or "free-range" labels.
Scope: Animal welfare on farm
FSC Certified
Forest
Wood and paper products from responsibly managed forests. Third-party audited. The real standard for paper, packaging, and wood products.
Scope: Paper · Wood · Packaging
Bronze — Some value, limited scope
Worth noting, not the whole picture
Made with Organic Ingredients
Partial
At least 70% organic ingredients, but not fully certified. Better than conventional but the remaining 30% is uncertified. Ask what the rest is.
Scope: Partial — 70%+ organic only
NSF Certified
Testing
Tests that ingredients match the label. Covers safety and identity — not farming practices or environmental impact.
Scope: Ingredient safety + label accuracy
Marketing — No standard, unverified
Anyone can print these
These terms have no legal standard and require no third-party audit. Any brand can put them on any product.
Natural
Eco-Friendly
Green
Sustainable
Clean
Non-Toxic
Planet-Friendly
Better for Earth
If this is the only claim — ask what it actually means. Probably nothing.
Certification
What did we miss?
Tell us what you see on the label that we may have missed. A cert logo, the format, where it was made, a recent change.