EcoAppraise Sustainability Glossary
Definitions used for claim assessment, verification, and risk screening.
Additionality
The requirement that an emissions reduction or removal would not have occurred without the specific intervention being claimed.
EcoAppraise context:
Carbon neutrality or offset-based claims are considered high risk if additionality cannot be demonstrated. Reductions that would have happened anyway do not qualify as additional.
Assurance
An independent process intended to increase confidence in sustainability information through review, testing, or verification.
EcoAppraise context:
EcoAppraise provides pre-publication claim verification and risk screening. It does not provide audit or financial assurance unless explicitly stated.
Avoidance vs. Removal
A distinction between emissions avoidance (preventing future emissions, such as protecting a forest) and emissions removal (actively removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere).
EcoAppraise context:
Long-term Net Zero claims increasingly prioritise removals. Claims relying heavily on avoidance should clearly disclose this distinction.
Biodiversity
The variability among living organisms from all sources, including terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic ecosystems, and the ecological complexes of which they are part.
EcoAppraise context:
Biodiversity claims are assessed cautiously due to location-specific impacts, evolving metrics, and frequent data gaps. Broad or generic biodiversity claims are typically high risk unless narrowly defined and evidenced.
Biodegradable
The ability of a material to break down through biological activity.
EcoAppraise context:
Biodegradable claims are high risk unless the environment, timeframe, and end state are clearly specified. General biodegradable claims without conditions are frequently considered misleading.
Boundary
The defined limits of a sustainability claim, including organisational scope, geography, lifecycle stage, time period, and activities included or excluded.
EcoAppraise context:
Most claim risk arises from unclear or omitted boundaries. Claims without explicit boundaries are treated as potentially misleading.
Carbon Neutral
A condition in which carbon dioxide emissions associated with a defined activity or entity are balanced by carbon removals or offsets.
EcoAppraise context:
Carbon neutrality claims are reviewed for scope definition, offset quality, additionality, and transparency regarding residual emissions.
Circular Economy
An economic model aimed at minimising waste and maximising the reuse, repair, refurbishment, and recycling of materials.
EcoAppraise context:
Circularity claims require specificity. References to circular economy principles without measurable actions or outcomes are considered aspirational rather than evidential.
Climate Risk
The potential negative impacts on an organisation arising from climate-related physical risks and transition risks.
EcoAppraise context:
Claims referencing climate risk should indicate whether risks are physical, transition-related, or both, and how they are identified or managed.
Compostable
Capable of breaking down into natural elements under specified composting conditions within a defined timeframe.
EcoAppraise context:
Compostable claims should specify whether industrial or home composting is required and whether such facilities are reasonably accessible to the intended audience.
DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion)
Frameworks and practices intended to ensure fair representation, treatment, and opportunity across gender, ethnicity, disability, and other characteristics.
EcoAppraise context:
Claims relating to “inclusive culture” or “diverse leadership” are assessed against workforce data, recruitment practices, and governance disclosures rather than statements of intent.
Double Counting
The situation in which the same environmental benefit, such as a carbon credit, is claimed by more than one party.
EcoAppraise context:
Double counting is a critical risk in Net Zero and offset claims. Claims must ensure the benefit is not simultaneously claimed by another company or a host country.
Double Materiality
A reporting and assessment concept that considers sustainability topics from two perspectives:
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Financial materiality — impacts on enterprise value and financial performance.
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Impact materiality — impacts of the organisation on the environment and society.
EcoAppraise context:
Use of this term implies a structured assessment. Organisations should be able to evidence methodology, criteria, and resulting material topics.
Environmental Claim
Any statement, symbol, image, or implication that suggests an environmental benefit or reduced environmental impact.
EcoAppraise context:
Environmental claims are assessed for clarity, accuracy, substantiation, and completeness. Implied claims are treated the same as explicit claims.
ESG
An umbrella term referring to environmental, social, and governance topics used in investment, reporting, and risk management contexts.
EcoAppraise context:
“ESG” is not evidence. Individual statements must still meet substantiation and clarity thresholds.
Greenhushing
The deliberate under-reporting or concealment of sustainability actions or performance to avoid scrutiny or criticism.
EcoAppraise context:
While not a misleading-claim risk, greenhushing represents a transparency risk for investors and stakeholders.
Greenrinsing
The repeated revision, delay, or dilution of sustainability targets or commitments without transparent explanation or updated evidence.
EcoAppraise context:
Frequent target changes increase credibility risk unless clearly explained and supported by revised data and timelines.
Greenwashing
The practice of making environmental claims that are misleading, exaggerated, unsupported, or omit material information.
EcoAppraise context:
Greenwashing risk is assessed based on claim construction and evidence quality, not intent.
Lifecycle
All stages of a product’s existence, from raw material extraction through production, distribution, use, and end-of-life.
EcoAppraise context:
Claims referring to lifecycle impacts should specify which stages are included. Partial lifecycle claims must not imply full coverage.
Living Wage
A wage sufficient to provide a worker and their family with a decent standard of living, beyond minimum legal requirements.
EcoAppraise context:
Living wage claims must reference credible benchmarks and coverage. Meeting local minimum wage laws alone is not sufficient.
Mass Balance
An accounting method used to track sustainability characteristics of materials through complex supply chains where physical segregation is not feasible.
EcoAppraise context:
Claims using mass balance must clearly disclose that the final product may not physically contain the sustainable material.
Materiality
The threshold at which information becomes significant enough to influence decisions or assessments.
EcoAppraise context:
Materiality claims imply judgement and prioritisation. Unsupported use of the term may overstate significance.
Modern Slavery
The presence of forced labour, bonded labour, or human trafficking within operations or supply chains.
EcoAppraise context:
Claims such as “ethically sourced” are high risk without evidence of modern slavery assessments, statements, or deep-tier supply chain audits.
Nature-Related Risk
Risk to an organisation arising from dependence on or impact to natural systems, including biodiversity loss, water scarcity, and land-use change.
EcoAppraise context:
Nature-related claims should be geographically specific and linked to identifiable activities.
Net Zero
A state in which greenhouse gas emissions are reduced as far as possible and remaining emissions are balanced by removals over a defined timeframe.
EcoAppraise context:
Net Zero claims are reviewed for scope coverage, interim milestones, and reliance on offsets or removals.
Product Longevity / Durability
Claims that a product is designed to last, be repairable, or resist premature obsolescence.
EcoAppraise context:
Such claims require evidence, including testing, spare-part availability, warranties, or repair policies.
Recyclable
Capable of being collected, sorted, and reprocessed into new material through existing recycling systems.
EcoAppraise context:
Recyclable claims are high risk unless they reflect real-world infrastructure. Where availability is limited, claims should be clearly qualified.
Recycled Content
The proportion of material derived from recycled sources, including pre-consumer and post-consumer material.
EcoAppraise context:
Claims should specify percentage, measurement basis, and material type. Recycled content does not imply recyclability.
Science-Based Targets (SBTi)
Emissions reduction targets aligned with pathways consistent with limiting global warming to 1.5°C.
EcoAppraise context:
Claims using “science-based” are high risk unless the targets are formally validated by the Science Based Targets initiative.
Scope 1, 2, and 3 Emissions
Categories used to classify greenhouse gas emissions across operations and value chains.
EcoAppraise context:
Claims should clearly identify which scopes are included and excluded.
Substantiation
The evidence, data, or documentation required to demonstrate that a claim is truthful and accurate.
EcoAppraise context:
This is the core principle of EcoAppraise. Claims without substantiation are categorised as high risk regardless of intent.
Sustainability
In a corporate context, the management of environmental and social impacts in support of long-term organisational viability.
EcoAppraise context:
Assessed through specific, evidence-backed claims rather than intent or values statements.
Sustainability Claim
Any statement that implies responsible environmental or social performance.
EcoAppraise context:
Claims must be specific, proportionate, and supported by accessible evidence.
Traceability
The ability to track materials or attributes through defined stages of the supply chain.
EcoAppraise context:
Traceability claims must specify coverage, method, and documentation.
Transition Plan
A documented roadmap outlining how an organisation intends to move toward lower-impact operations.
EcoAppraise context:
Transition plans referenced in claims should include timelines, actions, and measurable milestones.
TNFD
A framework designed to help organisations identify and disclose nature-related risks and opportunities.
EcoAppraise context:
References to TNFD imply alignment with defined processes and disclosures.
Verification
The evaluation of sustainability claims against defined criteria to assess clarity, evidence, and risk of misinterpretation.
EcoAppraise context:
Verification focuses on defensibility at the point of publication, not post-hoc performance.