Introducing: The Ecoscale

Ecoscale

A New and Transparent Approach to Sustainable Products

Back in September of this year, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced they were doing a large online sweep of businesses and industries across Australia, looking deeper into these businesses to see if they have been falsely promoting their green credentials.

‘Greenwashing’ is the official term, and it is pretty much what you think it is; when a company or business purports to being environmentally conscious, but actually isn’t making any notable sustainability efforts. And it is way more common than you think! Coca Cola, IKEA, Nestle, Starbucks, Volkswagon, and a number of well-known clothing brands are just a few companies who have been caught greenwashing over recent times.

In a recent speech at the Sydney Morning Herald Sustainability Summit, the deputy chair of the ACCC, Delia Rickard, noted:

“Broad terms like ‘environmentally-friendly’, ‘green’, or ‘sustainable’ have limited value and may mislead consumers, as they rarely provide enough information about what that exactly means in terms of the product or service consumers are considering purchasing,”

“It is important that businesses can back up the claims they are making, whether through reliable scientific reports, transparent supply chain information, reputable third-party certification, or other forms of evidence.”

Accountability and transparency is at the core of what we do at Ecogreen. It is the ethos that drives our processes, vision, and overall way of thinking. We are about using business to grow sustainability, and not the other way around. Through this tireless desire for transparency, we have developed the Ecoscale™

  • Wooden plank pathway through forest

    Follow Our Journey

    Ecoscale allows others to watch or even follow us, on our journey of continuous improvement. Who knows, we might even be able to help each other along the way.

  • Garbage in ocean with tropical fish top half screen blurred

    Accountability Through Transparency

    We believe sustainability isn’t showing off what you do well, it’s about admitting where you need to improve. Visibility to those we are accountable to. Ecoscale for Turtles went badly so it’s just for you humans for now.

  • Fork in the road in a forest

    Decision Making

    Providing the information needed to make informed decisions about the businesses you support. It also makes Greenwashing kind of impossible for us, not that we ever would.

  • Evolving Labels 

    Our labels are fitted with QR Codes ensuring that our product information evolves with our products. Changes to the Ecoscale, Ingredients and Data are just a QR Code away.

What is the Ecoscale™?

The Ecoscale™ is an evolving, methodical, and constantly developing standard to summarise estimated environmental impact potential of our products based on four areas; packaging, transport, ingredients, and environmental impacts.

The Ecoscale™ is by no means a perfect metric. There are too many variables within the chain of manufacturing that make it almost impossible to guarantee a definitively 100% sustainable product. We know that, and we don’t shy away from it. Rather, the Ecoscale™ is a tool designed to assist businesses and consumers with the information they need to make informed decisions, provide guidance and a process of continuous improvement, prevent complacency, and set a standard that others can follow.

Ecoscale

A tool for consumers to understand a product’s footprint & how we are improving it.

  • High Impact, use with restraint

    Product has significant environmental impact and should be prioritised for improvement, unless application requirements limit upgrade options such as hospital disinfection. Ecogreen encourages restrained use outside of the intended application.

    High Impact, use with restraint

    Product has significant environmental impact and should be prioritised for improvement, unless application requirements limit upgrade options such as hospital disinfection. Ecogreen encourages restrained use outside of the intended application.

  • Moderate impact, product triage – not all products can be saved.

    Everyone has to start somewhere and we should all be aiming to start here. A minimum standard for ethical practice and environmental care; this is NOT a selling point this is a starting point (minus 10 points for greenwashing). Starting to reduce impact with basic business practice changes.

    Moderate impact, product triage – not all products can be saved.

    Everyone has to start somewhere and we should all be aiming to start here. A minimum standard for ethical practice and environmental care; this is NOT a selling point this is a starting point (minus 10 points for greenwashing). Starting to reduce impact with basic business practice changes.

  • Low impact, frantically applying upgrades to reduce impact

    Changing for the better, substituting ingredients with less harmful alternatives, sourcing environmentally responsible materials, applying practices to reduce impact as much as possible.  Consider options for repurposing waste and upcycling of by-products.

    Low impact, frantically applying upgrades to reduce impact

    Changing for the better, substituting ingredients with less harmful alternatives, sourcing environmentally responsible materials, applying practices to reduce impact as much as possible.  Consider options for repurposing waste and upcycling of by-products.

  • Product is as close to neutral as currently possible.

    Ingredients substituted, eco-conscious materials sourced, business & waste practices adopted. For many products this is as far as they can go. Ecoscale is relative to available technology, complacency may result in a lower score over time; continuous improvement is key.

    Product is as close to neutral as currently possible.

    Ingredients substituted, eco-conscious materials sourced, business & waste practices adopted. For many products this is as far as they can go. Ecoscale is relative to available technology, complacency may result in a lower score over time; continuous improvement is key.

  • Taking less, giving back more.

    Contributes positively to the environment, usually limited to biological based products, biological process enhancers, products produced from waste or a combination thereof. 

    Taking less, giving back more.

    Contributes positively to the environment, usually limited to biological based products, biological process enhancers, products produced from waste or a combination thereof. 

  • Product is so good it should have its own theme song.

    Designed for an environmental future, this product is recycled or converted from waste. It regenerates the environment; is created using low impact and responsible practices, its negative impact aspects mostly or wholly offset.

    Product is so good it should have its own theme song.

    Designed for an environmental future, this product is recycled or converted from waste. It regenerates the environment; is created using low impact and responsible practices, its negative impact aspects mostly or wholly offset.

  • Dangerous

    High Impact, use with restraint

    Product has significant environmental impact and should be prioritised for improvement, unless application requirements limit upgrade options such as hospital disinfection. Ecogreen encourages restrained use outside of the intended application.

  • Pivotal

    Moderate impact, product triage – not all products can be saved.

    Everyone has to start somewhere and we should all be aiming to start here. A minimum standard for ethical practice and environmental care; this is NOT a selling point this is a starting point (minus 10 points for greenwashing). Starting to reduce impact with basic business practice changes.

  • Transitional

    Low impact, frantically applying upgrades to reduce impact

    Changing for the better, substituting ingredients with less harmful alternatives, sourcing environmentally responsible materials, applying practices to reduce impact as much as possible.  Consider options for repurposing waste and upcycling of by-products.

  • Eco-Responsible

    Product is as close to neutral as currently possible.

    Ingredients substituted, eco-conscious materials sourced, business & waste practices adopted. For many products this is as far as they can go. Ecoscale is relative to available technology, complacency may result in a lower score over time; continuous improvement is key.

  • Regenerative

    Taking less, giving back more.

    Contributes positively to the environment, usually limited to biological based products, biological process enhancers, products produced from waste or a combination thereof. 

  • Pinnacle

    Product is so good it should have its own theme song.

    Designed for an environmental future, this product is recycled or converted from waste. It regenerates the environment; is created using low impact and responsible practices, its negative impact aspects mostly or wholly offset.

Think of products on a scale of varying footprints on the planet. Single-use bottles, disposable batteries, plastic cutlery and plates are like Shaquille O’Neal size 23 basketball boots, while reusable stainless steel straws, bees wax food wraps, and bamboo toilet paper are tiny size 4 ballerina slippers that barely make an imprint on the ground.

Our aim with the Ecoscale™ is to give consumers and businesses a clear and concise visualisation of our products footprints; every size, every groove, and every callous. We want to be forthright into what goes into the development and manufacturing of our products, covering all areas from ingredients and where they are sourced, to how the product is transported. We want to let you know where we are, where we are going, and how we plan to get there.

The Scale Itself

Every single one of the products we produce sits somewhere on the Ecoscale™, from our Silk Hand Sanitiser and REM Gold (waste water remediation), to our Food Waste Treatment Solution and Alcohol-Free Surface Cleaner.

Each of these products have a separate Container Rating, Transport Rating, and Ingredients Rating, with these 3 ratings combining to produce an Overall Rating. From there, this Overall Rating is placed on the Ecoscale™ itself, giving consumers a completely transparent look at the product’s footprint, as well as what needs to be done to improve the product so it can move along the scale.

So what is the actual scale of the Ecoscale™ (trying saying that five times fast)? We’re glad you asked. There are 6 markers on the Ecoscale™, ranging from ‘High Impact’ being the least sustainable, to ‘Pinnacle’ being the most sustainable. You can explore each category by clicking the tabs below:

An Example

Let’s use our CleanAir anti-bacterial air freshener as an example. CleanAir uses sap, bark, herbs, flowers, and algae extract to control indoor odours.

Put on the Ecoscale™, CleanAir has an overall rating which sits on ‘Transitional’, with the overall rating an average of Transport, Ingredients, and Container ratings. We know CleanAir isn’t a perfect product, and have listed a number of areas that can be improved on for it to move up on the scale. These include sourcing biodegradable plastic without the inlay, sourcing more local materials to limit marine impact, and developing a compatible refill solution to significantly reduce shipping.

Our target rating for CleanAir is to be closer to the ‘Eco-responsible’ marker. If we make significant improvements in a number of areas, we may very well push CleanAir towards ‘Eco-responsible’. Conversely, if we sit back and do nothing and not try and improve this product, over time CleanAir may slide back on the scale.

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