New tool helps buyers test credibility of eco-claims

ISEAL Alliance, the global association for sustainability standards and labels, said it launched the new “Challenge the Label” website, which includes downloadable tools to help companies choose credible sustainability labels for their products. ISEAL’s cirector of communications, alongside leaders from Marine Stewardship Council, Artisan Bistro Foods and Bumblebee Seafoods, unveiled the “Challenge the Label” site (www.challengethelabel.org) and buyer tools at the Sustainable Brands Conference in San Diego earlier this month.

More and more products on supermarket shelves bear sustainability claims, promising everything from biodegradable household cleaners to carbon-neutral sugar.  But with more than 400 eco-labels on the market (according to the Ecolabel Index) it can be difficult for any company to know which to trust, given the array of sustainability promises, claims and language found on products, ISEAL noted.

For the last 18 months, the ISEAL Alliance led a conversation with experts including companies, standards-setters and government specialists to agree on the five universal truths of a credible sustainability claim or label.  They determined that the sustainability claim must be clear, accurate and relevant, and backed up by a system that is transparent and robust.

Buyers may use the Challenge the Label tool to understand sustainability claims and become aware of the sort of questions they should be asking of eco-labels, the alliance said. Challenge the Label was designed to encourage buyers to look deeper into the sustainability claims they encounter and to feel confident that what appears on the label is credible. By providing an easy to follow set of questions, a set of five truths, as well as other resources, the initiative will help build awareness about what is behind sustainability claims and allow company buyers to choose sustainability partners and suppliers that are right for their sustainability goals.

“It’s a jungle of sustainability claims and labels out there, and this makes it confusing for businesses who are trying to find the right suppliers and partners for their objectives," said Karin Kreider, executive director of ISEAL and a leading expert on credible eco-labels. "ISEAL developed Challenge the Label because we have been defining credibility in standards and labels for more than a decade, and we wanted to create something that would point out a few simple truths of credible claims, but also bring together a wealth of additional resources and tools for companies to dig even deeper and support their own credibility.”

With sustainability claims and labels emerging in multiple sectors, from renewable energy and plastics to recycling and tourism, the Challenge the Label initiative may be applied to any claim or label that focuses on sustainability in some way. Its five universal truths capture, at a broad level, what a credible label or claim will look like, the alliance said, and the entire initiative encourages companies to dig deeper and ask important questions of their sustainability partners. It can also provide guidance for a company in developing their own claims and labels.

For more information, visit www.challengethelabel.org.