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The Good Standard

The Good Standard is our ethical guide that calls out brands to secure social and environmental responsibility and embrace transparency. To avoid ‘greenwashing’, we check on businesses’ practices and verify how they measure up to their values.

By applying The Good Standard, we aspire to help improve the quality of goods and services available by increasing brand accountability. It is possible to improve the current sustainable market only through our conscientious demands as this urges brands to do better and motivates them to incorporate sustainable business practices.

In our review process, we rely on information provided by the brands and/or visit the production site to investigate further. Brands begin by filling an extensive questionnaire devised on our principles of transparency and accountability. This questionnaire inquires about the brand methodology with regards to the product, process and packaging. All of this information is then translated into a summarised and objective report. It is our assumption that the brands provide accurate information that helps us prepare an unbiased inspection.

Our review parameters look into three main aspects – Product, Process and Packaging, which is explained below. These aspects act as a guide to our approach in examining various brands. Read on to learn more about how we define our ethical categories.

Product

We investigate the materials used in every product, examining its lifecycle, from production to decomposition. Apart from the materials or ingredients that constitute the product, we also look into the usage and functionality of the final product.

Toxin Free

Free from any toxic chemicals, natural or man-made.

Natural

All ingredients are derived from natural sources.

Vegan

Not derived from animals or any animal byproduct.

Organic

Made of natural materials without using pesticides or toxic chemicals.

Cruelty Free

The product and the ingredients are not tested on animals.

Vegetarian

Not derived from animals and does not harm any animals.

Recyclable

Made with materials that are 100% recyclable.

Compostable

Biodegradable and can result in compost.

Artisanal

Made by skilled workers through valued methods.

Handcrafted

Handmade with care using minimal machinery.

Recycled Materials

Derived from post-consumer use materials.

Upcycled

Made from old and existing materials.

Process

While auditing the process of a brand’s production, we also inspect worker conditions. Workers must be provided fair wages with adequate time off. We detest the usage of child labor and racial discrimination. We also consider the energy utilization of production methods.

Zero Waste

Uses methods resulting in minimal or no waste.

Small Batch

Produced in small amounts, using less energy and reduced waste.

Fair Trade

Provide fair living wages and favourable working conditions.

Locally Made

Manufactured in a specific region to support local communities.

Energy Conservation

Products made by conserving water and energy usage.

Low Carbon Impact

Emissions of greenhouse gases are low in the production.

Gender Equality

Equitable wages given in accordance to the work done, without gender disparity.

Inclusive

Practices inclusivity and does not discriminate on the basis of religion, race or region.

Packaging

The highest waste generation comes from packaging items, including boxes, wrapping paper, tape and other materials. While all sustainable brands want to use 100% plastic free packaging, many find it challenging due to lack of suitable alternatives. Therefore, we have disclosed positive aspects of the packaging used by our featured brands.

Recyclable

100% recyclable packaging, including the tape used.

Minimal Waste

When only certain items in the packaging are plastic or waste.

Post Consumer Use

Packaging containing post consumer use materials.

Plastic Free

Containing zero plastic and free of any polymer additives.

Additionally, we have also created The Good Leaf rating, an accreditation awarded to all brands featured on The Good Directory to distinguish conscious endeavours. We grant this rating from (Acceptable) to (Favourable), proportional to the brand’s efforts based on every factor of product, process and packaging, mentioned above. This symbol serves as a reminder of our progress towards a better world through intentional living.

The Good Leaf rating labels:

Acceptable

Brands that practice some of our values and are also making modest progress on at least one factor.

Valuable

Brands that adopt policies to tackle multiple material issues across their supply chain and often indicate excellence in two or more factors.

Favourable

Brands that manifest leadership in all three factors. They have strong, sustainable policies in place and continue to improve their supply chain further.

We recognise the complexities that exist in ensuring that brands are 100% sustainable and therefore, we have distinctively reported on values followed by businesses that are trying hard to improve the sustainability of their products. Through this, we hope to increase transparency and enhance brand accountability as much as we can, which will encourage the industry to accelerate the pace of positive change.

We want to empower consumers by making them aware of the impact of brands on the environment. This would potentially result in better market offerings of premium quality goods, mindfully created, focussing on durability and longevity.

We hope that our review methodology helps us grow closer to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 12, which ensures sustainable consumption and production patterns. This methodology will continue to evolve with the market understanding of important sustainability issues. We are constantly trying to improve so do mail us at [email protected] if you have any feedback.

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