Good On You’s ratings can be used as a consumer-facing sustainability label: a credible, independently assured assessment of a brand’s sustainability performance that shoppers can trust and retailers can display with confidence.
Good On You is a sustainability platform that rates consumer brands’ performance on environment, labour, and animals, based on publicly available disclosures. We have always existed to help people make better choices by making that information more transparent, comparable, and easy to understand. The framework described in this article, the sustainability label scheme, is what allows our ratings to be used as a sustainability label—within the rules governing what businesses can say about the sustainability of a brand, product, or service, in the EU and beyond.
From 27 September 2026, the EU’s Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (EmpCo) requires that any sustainability label shown to consumers rests on a credible certification scheme, is independently monitored, and is open to brands on fair, non-discriminatory terms. Good On You’s scheme is built to meet these requirements, so that ratings used as a sustainability label are compliant with the law.
The scheme brings together the elements that make a Good On You rating dependable as a sustainability claim, ie independent assessment against a transparent, publicly available methodology developed with reference to global best-practice models (including the ISEAL Code of Good Practice and relevant ISO standards); independent monitoring by a separate monitoring body; documented governance and impartiality safeguards; and a formal mechanism for corrections, complaints, and appeals.
Below we outline what the scheme is, how it works, and the safeguards that sit behind a Good On You rating. Further detail on how the Good On You rating system works are explained in the Good On You Sustainability Label Scheme Manual.
What the sustainability label scheme is
The sustainability label scheme is the formal framework that allows Good On You ratings to be used as a legally compliant, consumer-facing sustainability label displayed by traders including brands and multi-brand retailers.
When a trader publishes a sustainability claim, including via a sustainability label, it must comply with relevant consumer law, including the EU Unfair Commercial Practices Directive. The scheme is designed to give traders and consumers confidence that claims based on Good On You ratings rest on credible, independently assured information that meets the requirements these laws set for sustainability labels.
The principles behind Good On You’s ratings
First, it helps to know that Good On You’s core rating principles underpin all ratings conducted under the scheme. In short, the seven principles are:
Transparency comes first.
Consider lifecycle impacts and circularity.
Be comprehensive.
Be consumer-centric.
Consider issues in proportion to their materiality.
Ensure an evidence-based approach.
Engage and collaborate widely.
The methodology principles are defined in detail in this article on methodology development and consultation.
A nuanced approach across verticals
Sustainability information is inherently complicated and the most critical issues vary across industries. Therefore, Good On You’s ratings are designed to carefully consider industry-specific issues as well as rate brands proportionately based on their business size. Here are a few key facts that define the scope of the sustainability label scheme:
Vertical-specific methodologies: Good On You recognises that the sustainability issues that are material to each consumer sector vary. Accordingly, we develop methodologies specific to each vertical such as fashion and beauty.
Proportionate assessment: Within active verticals, Good On You operates separate assessment pathways for large brands versus small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs). This ensures that smaller operations are assessed fairly and proportionally without being penalised or lowering sustainability rigour. Learn more about the large and small brand distinction.
Brand-level indicator: Good On You ratings evaluate the entity or entities that have operational control of consumer-facing brands. It does not apply to an individual product line or item.
Learn more about the brand types rated by Good On You.
Conditions for when a rating can be a sustainability label
A Good On You rating may only be used as a sustainability label for a brand where:
The brand achieves an overall score at or above the minimum eligibility threshold (ie brands rated 4/5 “Good” and 5/5 “Great”)
The trader wishing to use the rating in consumer-facing communications has agreed to meet the requirements of the Rating Usage Guidelines.
The scheme is designed to be applicable regardless of where a brand or trader is incorporated or where its primary markets are located. It is designed to align with all relevant consumer protection laws including the EU regulatory framework (the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive as amended by the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (EU) 2022/2464). In particular, the scheme governs the use of Good On You ratings as sustainability labels by traders making claims to EU consumers.
What makes the ratings and the scheme dependable
Good On You ratings were created to support credible consumer information. And when used as a sustainability claim, they’re designed so everyone from a retailer through to a consumer can stand behind them. Several features of the scheme set it apart from self-declared sustainability claims, and together they give brands, traders, and consumers confidence that a rating means what it says.
Independent assessment
Good On You ratings independently assess brands against set criteria, using publicly available disclosures. Brands do not have input on their own ratings beyond publicly disclosing information about their practices, and a brand cannot change its score by engaging with Good On You's commercial tools or by sharing additional information. The same criteria apply to every brand, regardless of any commercial relationship with Good On You.
A transparent, evidence-based methodology
The criteria are published in the Good On You Resource Centre and tailored to each industry vertical, so anyone can see what is assessed and how a score is reached. Ratings draw only on public evidence, such as brand disclosures, third-party certifications, and participation in recognised multi-stakeholder initiatives. The methodology gives weight to concrete, verifiable information about current practice rather than aspirational commitments, and it ignores vague or unsubstantiated claims.
Publicly available evidence
Good On You ratings assess how well brands address critical sustainability issues across supply chains, based solely on publicly available information such as corporate policies, sustainability reports, third-party certifications, investigations published in trusted media outlets, multi-stakeholder registers and similar publicly accessible venues. Non-public or private information is not accepted, because a core principle of Good On You ratings is transparency and the consumer’s right to know. Brands can use Good On You’s Good Measures tool to point analysts to public data, but every data point must be verifiable in the public domain and is checked through Good On You’s own analysis.
Independent monitoring
The scheme is monitored by Odonata Certification Services, a legally separate assurance organisation acting as the scheme’s Independent Monitoring Body. Odonata does not rate brands itself; it reviews Good On You’s rating files on a sampling basis and verifies, at least annually, that the ratings methodology and scheme operate as documented and are free from commercial bias.
Clear separation between ratings and revenue
Good On You is a for-profit company with a social-impact mission, earning revenue from data licensing, its Good Measures brand portal, and affiliate commissions. To keep these activities from influencing ratings, the commercial team has no authority over scores, scoring logic, or analysts, and cannot access active rating files. Further, analyst pay is not tied to revenue or to any brand’s commercial status and analysts must declare and avoid any conflicts of interest. Good On You also publishes its ownership structure, and does not accept owners of rated consumer brands as shareholders. These separation provisions, among other aspects of the process, are monitored by the Independent Monitoring Body. Full detail on governance and accountability is set out in the Scheme Manual.
Open to every brand
Any brand may be rated if it is operating within an industry for which Good On You has a relevant methodology. Good On You decides what brands to rate based on consumer interest, market significance, or customer requests, so a brand cannot avoid scrutiny by declining to take part, and non-discrimination is built into how the scheme works rather than promised after the fact. Brands can request to be rated and Good On You undertakes those ratings at its discretion. Because ratings rest solely on publicly available data, including a brand’s own public disclosures, any brand within the scope of a methodology may be rated.
Multi-stage review process
Every rating processed under the scheme undergoes a rigorous, multi-stage internal workflow before publication:
Evidence collection and rating analysis: Public documentation is gathered and assessed against the appropriate methodology under the supervision of a dedicated qualified analyst. All data and evidence is logged including the source URL. All questions are deterministic with either fixed answer options or numeric input options. A score and rating are determined by the system from the evidence collected. Learn more about scoring.
Review and finalisation: Once the analysis is complete, it is considered by a reviewer who may certify and finalise the rating after the correct analysis procedure has been followed, including explicitly reviewing points of analysis that have been flagged for verification.
Publication: Rating information is then updated across the Good On You web directory, mobile app, and partner APIs.
Learn more about the rating process.
Maintaining currency and re-rating timescales
To prevent out-of-date or misleading sustainability claims, any rating used as a consumer-facing sustainability label must meet Good On You’s currency requirements. Ratings are scheduled for regular review at a minimum of every 12 months.
A clear route to raise concerns
Anyone, whether a consumer, a brand, or a third party, can ask for a correction or raise a complaint including if they believe a rating is wrong or a label has been used in a misleading way. Disputes that cannot be resolved internally can be escalated, and appeals relating to label-eligible ratings are considered by the Independent Monitoring Body. See how to submit a concern.
Additional resources
Resources and ongoing reports related to the sustainability label scheme are published here.
Questions? Contact the Good On You team
Have a question about the scheme or how you can use Good On You ratings as a compliant sustainability label? Our expert team of sustainability veterans are here to help. Contact us here.