Ethical Shopping Glossary
Clear definitions for the certifications and labels you'll see on ethical products.
Vegan
Contains no animal-derived ingredients and no animal byproducts.
Cruelty-Free
Neither the finished product nor its ingredients were tested on animals.
B Corp
A for-profit company independently verified to meet high social and environmental standards.
USDA Organic
U.S. federal certification for food and farming free from synthetic pesticides, GMOs, and irradiation.
Fair Trade
Producers in developing countries are paid a fair minimum price plus a community premium.
Leaping Bunny
The international gold standard for cruelty-free personal care and household products.
Non-GMO
Made without genetically modified organisms, typically verified to a 0.9% threshold.
EWG Verified
Personal care products free from the Environmental Working Group's list of ingredients of concern.
Rainforest Alliance
Certifies farms that meet standards for biodiversity, worker welfare, and climate-smart agriculture.
FSC Certified
Wood, paper, and forest products from responsibly managed forests.
GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard)
The leading worldwide standard for organic fibers, covering ecological and social criteria.
Cradle to Cradle
Certifies products designed for circularity — material health, reuse, renewable energy, water and social fairness.
Carbon Neutral
A brand or product whose climate impact is balanced by offsets — credible only with verified, additional offsets.
Greenwashing
Marketing a product or company as more environmentally responsible than it actually is.
Circular Economy
An economic model where products and materials are reused, repaired, refurbished or recycled — minimizing waste.
Microplastics
Plastic particles smaller than 5mm — released by synthetic fabrics, tires, packaging breakdown and personal care.
Fair Wear Foundation
Independent multi-stakeholder initiative auditing apparel brand factories for labor practices.
Biodegradable
Capable of being broken down by microorganisms into natural substances — but conditions and timeframes vary widely.
Carbon Neutral
Net-zero carbon emissions achieved by reducing and offsetting equivalent CO₂.
Net Zero
Reducing emissions by ~90% then offsetting only the unavoidable residual.
Scope 3 Emissions
Indirect emissions across the value chain — usually a company's largest footprint.
Regenerative Agriculture
Farming practices that rebuild soil health, biodiversity and watersheds.
Living Wage
A wage sufficient to meet a worker's basic needs in their location.
Supply Chain Transparency
Public disclosure of suppliers, facilities and conditions across every production tier.
Leaping Bunny
The strictest globally recognised cruelty-free certification.
GOTS
The leading textile processing standard for organic fibres, covering ecology and labour.
OEKO-TEX Standard 100
Tests textiles for harmful substances at every production stage.
RSPO
Multi-stakeholder certification for palm oil produced without deforestation.
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
Certifies wild-caught seafood from sustainably managed fisheries.
EWG Verified
Personal-care products that meet the Environmental Working Group's transparency and ingredient-safety criteria.
LEED Certification
The most widely used green-building certification system, run by USGBC.
IPCC
UN body that publishes the authoritative scientific assessment of climate change.
Carbon Offset
A tradable credit representing one tonne of CO₂ reduced, avoided or removed.