Hier vind je de definities van de indicatoren die ten grondslag liggen aan de Mileu, Circulaire, en Gezondheids footprint, die samen de Nature Impact Score vormen. Hierbij wordt toegelicht waarom, wat precies wordt gemeten, en hoe dit gebeurt.
The environmental cost of making this product — from raw materials to market.
Cradle to Gate or Cradle to Market. For Food and Beverages, Cosmetics, Cleaning Products, and Cut Flowers and Potted Plants, the value includes both the ingredients/formula and the packaging.
Indicates the potential global warming resulting from emissions of greenhouse gases from three categories: fossil resources, bio-based resources, and land use change activities. Provides a comprehensive overview of sources contributing to climate change, aiding in targeted mitigation strategies and policy formulation. When no LCA/EPD is provided, data comes from Life Cycle Inventory Databases and is secondary and global in nature.
Tracking greenhouse gas emissions provides a clear understanding of a product's contribution to climate change and can assist in reducing the product's environmental impacts and mitigating global warming.
Measured in kilograms of CO₂-equivalents (kg CO₂e), based on the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of each greenhouse gas over a 100-year time horizon. A higher value indicates a greater contribution to global climate change.
Cradle to Gate or Cradle to Market. For Food and Beverages, Cosmetics, Cleaning Products, and Cut Flowers and Potted Plants, the value includes both the ingredients/formula and the packaging.
Measures the capacity of nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide emissions to contribute to the acidification of soils and water bodies, thus harming ecosystems and human health. When no LCA/EPD is provided, data comes from Life Cycle Inventory Databases and is secondary and global in nature.
Tracking the acidification potential of products is essential as it quantifies the emissions that contribute to impacting ecosystems and human health.
Measured in moles of H⁺ equivalents (mol H⁺ eq), reflecting the acidifying capacity of emissions such as SO₂, NOₓ, and NH₃. A higher value indicates a greater potential to harm ecosystems, reduce soil fertility, and damage materials.
Cradle to Gate or Cradle to Market. For Food and Beverages, Cosmetics, Cleaning Products, and Cut Flowers and Potted Plants, the value includes both the ingredients/formula and the packaging.
Primary non-renewable energy consumption, expressed as MJ per functional unit, encompasses the energy required for resource extraction and manufacturing processes. Data comes from Life Cycle Inventory Databases and is secondary and global in nature.
Tracking primary non-renewable energy consumption provides insights into a product's environmental footprint, helps mitigate reliance on finite energy sources, and reduces associated environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions.
Measured in megajoules (MJ) of fossil energy used, covering non-renewable sources such as oil, coal, and natural gas. A higher MJ value indicates greater dependence on fossil resources and contributes to resource depletion and related environmental impacts.
Cradle to Gate or Cradle to Market. For Food and Beverages, Cosmetics, Cleaning Products, and Cut Flowers and Potted Plants, the value includes both the ingredients/formula and the packaging.
Evaluates the environmental consequences of water consumption, including its effect on water availability for humans and ecosystems, impact on ecosystems, and quality. When no LCA/EPD is provided, data comes from Life Cycle Inventory Databases and is secondary and global in nature.
Assessing the environmental impact of water consumption on both human needs and ecosystems works towards ensuring sustainable water management practices that prioritize ecological health and resource conservation.
Measured in litres of net freshwater consumed — water withdrawn and not returned to the same watershed. A higher value indicates a greater potential pressure on freshwater availability, which can affect ecosystems, agriculture, and human supply.
Cradle to Gate or Cradle to Market. For Food and Beverages, Cosmetics, Cleaning Products, and Cut Flowers and Potted Plants, the value includes both the ingredients/formula and the packaging.
Integrates diverse environmental impacts into a unified fiat currency (Euros), facilitating decision-making towards sustainable solutions. Factors include abiotic depletion, global warming, ozone layer depletion, photochemical oxidation, acidification, eutrophication, and human toxicity. Prices are calculated from the Environmental Prices Handbook, which is regularly updated and verified.
To show a comparable metric of a product's environmental and health impact that considers all life cycle indicators.
How circular is this product — its materials, packaging, and end-of-life potential.
Material composition of product (for Food and Beverages, Cosmetics, Cleaning Products, and Cut Flowers and Potted Plants, this refers to the product's consumer packaging).
Recycled content is the percentage of materials used in a product that have been diverted from solid pre- and post-consumer waste streams. The term 'recycled' combines three processes: recycling, reuse, and refining (chemical recycling).
Incorporating recycled materials into products conserves natural resources and reduces energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions associated with virgin material extraction and processing.
Material composition of product (for Food and Beverages, Cosmetics, Cleaning Products, and Cut Flowers and Potted Plants, this refers to the product's consumer packaging).
Biobased content is the percentage of materials used in a product that are biobased — materials of biological origin, excluding material embedded in geological formations or transformed into fossilized material, and excluding peat.
Biobased materials, derived from renewable biomass sources, offer sustainable alternatives to conventional fossil-based products.
Material composition of product (for Food and Beverages, Cosmetics, Cleaning Products, and Cut Flowers and Potted Plants, this refers to the product's consumer packaging).
Compostable content is the percentage of materials that decomposes under certain conditions in a short period and provides nutrients to ecosystems. Data is based on European statistical databases or peer-reviewed literature.
Embracing compostability promotes circular nutrient cycles, supports organic waste diversion from landfills, reduces methane emissions, and fosters sustainable agricultural practices.
Material composition of product (for Food and Beverages, Cosmetics, Cleaning Products, and Cut Flowers and Potted Plants, this refers to the product's consumer packaging).
This indicator illustrates the extent to which a product or its components undergo circular processing after their use phase. Data refers to actual rates of recycling of specific waste materials from European statistical databases or peer-reviewed literature.
Recyclability promotes the circular economy by facilitating the recovery and reuse of materials at the end of their useful life, encouraging resource conservation, waste reduction, and development of efficient recycling infrastructure.
The product itself. Not applicable for Food and Beverages, Cosmetics, Cleaning Products, or Building Products.
"Easily separable" means the ability of a member of the general public to remove one homogeneous material from another it is physically attached to, using common tools (e.g., hammer, screwdriver, pliers) with minimal technical experience and instruction.
A product that is easily separable enhances the feasibility of circular economy initiatives by enabling the recovery and reuse of valuable materials, facilitating efficient recycling and waste management processes.
The product itself. Only applicable for Building Products.
The Detachability Index is the ability of a building product to be removed from the building in which it is installed, based on the Disassembly Potential method of the Dutch Green Building Council. Labelled "Yes" if the detachability index is greater than 0.5.
A product that is easily detachable enhances the feasibility of circular economy initiatives by enabling the recovery and reuse of valuable materials and reducing environmental burden.
The product itself. Not applicable for Food and Beverages, Cosmetics, Cleaning Products, and Cut Flowers and Potted Plants.
A guarantee by the manufacturer of at least 3 years — 1 year longer than required by EU regulations. Commercial warranties, satisfaction warranties, or warranties without repair do not qualify.
A longer-than-legally-required warranty assures consumers of the product's durability and reliability, increasing confidence in its long-term value and reducing concerns about repair or replacement costs.
Consumer packaging. Not applicable for Food and Beverages, Cosmetics, Cleaning Products, and Cut Flowers and Potted Plants, as their packaging is already considered in other Circular Footprint indicators.
Consumer packaging that does not contain any plastic materials, such as (but not limited to) PP, PE, PS, PET, ABS, EVA, PVC, PVE, etc.
Plastic-free packaging reduces plastic pollution, aligns with sustainable packaging practices, and reduces negative environmental impacts.
Consumer packaging. Not applicable for Food and Beverages, Cosmetics, Cleaning Products, and Cut Flowers and Potted Plants.
Consumer packaging that contains at least 95% recycled materials.
High recycled content packaging minimizes resource consumption, lowers carbon footprint, and promotes a circular economy, contributing to waste reduction efforts.
Consumer packaging.
Packaging that can be filled with the same or a similar product more than once without changing its original form, except for specified requirements such as cleaning and washing.
Packaging that can be reused or refilled helps reduce packaging-related waste.
The product itself. Not applicable to Food and Beverages, Cosmetics, Cleaning Products, and Cut Flowers and Potted Plants.
A product designed to be used more than once in its original form without additional processing except for cleaning or washing. The manufacturer must demonstrate through testing or documented evidence that the product is intentionally designed for more reuse cycles than a typical disposable product.
To progress to a circular economy, there is a need for innovative, reusable products that can perform the same function as disposable alternatives. This indicator rewards products that have reuse principles integrated from the design process.
The product itself. Only applicable for Cosmetics and Cleaning Products.
'Microplastic' refers to tiny plastic particles intentionally added to personal care & cosmetic products. The NIS uses the Plastic Soup Foundation's Beat the Microbead categorization (Red, Orange, Green). Products must declare no Red/Orange microplastics or hold the "Zero Plastic Inside" certification.
Microplastics can have devastating impacts on human and ecosystem health. When rinse-off products are used, these particles enter wastewater systems that many treatment plants cannot effectively filter, resulting in microplastic pollution in rivers, lakes, oceans, and soil.
The product's consumer packaging.
"Yes" if the product is sold without any consumer packaging elements. If this indicator is "Yes," then scores for all other packaging-related indicators are automatically granted.
No packaging is the most circular form of packaging.
The value chain of the food and beverage retailer. Only applicable for Food and Beverages.
"Yes" if the retailer has published an FLW Protocol-compliant, verified food waste calculation report. The Food Loss and Waste (FLW) Protocol is the gold standard for calculating food waste and contains verification guidelines.
Roughly 33% of food is wasted along the chain. Companies should vigilantly track food wastage across their value chain to measure and understand opportunities to reduce such wastage.
The retailer of the product. Only applicable for Cosmetics and Cleaning Products.
Checks for the retailer's commitment to reducing the amount of unsold products that end up being destroyed (landfilled or incinerated). The policy must provide concrete actions and targets to reduce and prevent the destruction of unsold products.
To motivate retailers to ensure they are preventing the incineration and landfilling of goods that are still safe to use.
Chemical safety, toxicity, and transport — the health cost behind the product.
REACH compliance of the retailer or manufacturer.
REACH is a European Union regulation that aims to enhance protection of human health and the environment by mitigating risks associated with chemicals. It also encourages the adoption of alternative, less harmful chemicals. This indicator shows whether the manufacturer has signed a declaration that their product is in compliance with this regulation.
Guaranteeing that products meet stringent safety standards and minimize risks associated with hazardous substances leads to protecting human health and the environment.
Compliance of the retailer or manufacturer.
Includes other European regulations on chemical safety as well as restrictions on organohalogen substances of concern (PFASs, HFRs, OPFRs, halogenated polymers, halogenated organic solvents, and other highly halogenated carbon-based materials). Goes beyond REACH to cover EU RoHS, Toy Safety, Cosmetics, and POPs regulations. Manufacturers declare homogeneous materials do not contain organohalogen substances exceeding 1% by weight.
Having a global and more encompassing health safety declaration ensures a comprehensive overview of the health impacts of a product.
The product itself. Only applicable for Food and Beverages.
Products carrying the EU Green Logo contain more than 95% organically grown ingredients which respect the highest standards for human, animal, and environmental health in the farming of raw ingredients. Other acceptable certifications include Demeter or EKO (Dutch only).
Organic agriculture is known to significantly reduce the environmental consequences of traditional agriculture.
Cradle to Gate or Cradle to Market. For Food and Beverages, Cosmetics, Cleaning Products, and Cut Flowers and Potted Plants, the value includes both ingredients/formula and packaging.
Considers the potential health risks associated with exposure to toxic substances released into air, water, or land. Calculated using environmental fate factor, human exposure factor, toxicity effect factor, and toxicity-effect damage factor. When no LCA/EPD is provided, data comes from Life Cycle Inventory Databases and is secondary and global in nature.
Displaying this indicator highlights the impacts of pollution on human health.
Measured in comparative toxic units for humans (CTUh), representing the estimated increase in cancer cases per unit of emission. A higher CTUh value indicates a higher potential risk of cancer effects in humans.
Cradle to Gate or Cradle to Market. For Food and Beverages, Cosmetics, Cleaning Products, and Cut Flowers and Potted Plants, the value includes both ingredients/formula and packaging.
Evaluates the adverse health impacts of exposure to toxic substances through inhalation of air, food/water ingestion, or skin penetration, excluding carcinogenic effects. When no LCA/EPD is provided, data comes from Life Cycle Inventory Databases and is secondary and global in nature.
Displaying this indicator highlights the impacts of pollution on human health.
Measured in CTUh, representing the estimated increase in non-cancer disease cases per unit of emission. A higher CTUh indicates a greater potential risk of non-cancer health impacts such as organ damage, developmental disorders, neurological issues, or immune impairment.
Cradle to Gate or Cradle to Market. For Food and Beverages, Cosmetics, Cleaning Products, and Cut Flowers and Potted Plants, the value includes both ingredients/formula and packaging.
Evaluates the ecological risks posed by chemical emissions to nonhuman organisms and ecosystems, estimating the proportion of species potentially impacted over time and volume per unit mass of emitted chemical. When no LCA/EPD is provided, data comes from Life Cycle Inventory Databases and is secondary and global in nature.
Displaying this indicator highlights the impacts of pollution on ecosystem health.
Measured in comparative toxic units for ecosystems (CTUe), representing the potentially affected fraction of species in each volume of freshwater. A higher CTUe indicates a greater potential risk of damage to aquatic organisms and ecosystems.
The product's contact packaging. Only applicable for Food and Beverages.
Awards a score of 20% in the Health Footprint if the retailer or their supplier provides a signed declaration that the primary packaging is entirely free of Bisphenol A (BPA) and PFAS. The burden of proof is a signed declaration of compliance.
Eliminating BPA and PFAS from food packaging protects human health from potential endocrine disruption, developmental issues, increased cancer risk, and other adverse effects, while also preventing environmental contamination from these persistent and bio-accumulative substances.
Gate to Market (from the factory gate to the point of sale).
Accounts for product movement from manufacturing to point of sale, excluding sub-components and packaging points. Distances are calculated from the production site gate to an average retailer or distribution platform. Transportation values — whether through LCA or Material Index methods — affect the environmental and health indicators. Omitting transportation data results in a 4% reduction in the overall Nature Impact Score.
Longer distances travelled lead to higher energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Incorporating transportation data allows for a comprehensive cradle-to-market understanding of a product's environmental and health impact, empowering consumers to make choices that minimize energy consumption and reduce emissions.
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