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EcoAppraise Methodology & Verification 

What EcoAppraise Is — and Is Not

EcoAppraise.com is an AI-assisted, rubric-driven pre-legal screening tool designed to help organizations identify potential regulatory and reputational risk in public-facing environmental and sustainability claims.

EcoAppraise is not a legal opinion, certification, or regulator approval.
It does not determine compliance or non-compliance.
It provides an early warning system to highlight where wording, scope, or substantiation may fall short of current enforcement expectations.

Think of EcoAppraise as a stress test for sustainability language — before it reaches regulators, investors, or courts.

What EcoAppraise Reviews

EcoAppraise analyzes machine-readable text that contains environmental, climate, ESG, or sustainability representations, including:

  • Website pages

  • Press releases

  • ESG or sustainability report excerpts

  • Marketing copy and product descriptions

  • Investor or partner communications

  • Packaging or label text (where provided)

What is excluded by default:

  • Text embedded in images or graphics

  • Video or audio content

  • PDFs unless text extraction is enabled

  • Claims requiring physical inspection or laboratory testing

How EcoAppraise Works (High-Level)

EcoAppraise combines automated text analysis with a fixed, rules-based evaluation framework informed by current regulatory guidance and enforcement trends.

Step 1: Claim Detection

The system identifies explicit and implied environmental claims, including:

  • Absolute and comparative claims

  • Net-zero, carbon-neutral, or offset-based claims

  • Recyclable, recycled content, or circularity claims

  • “Eco,” “green,” “sustainable,” or similar umbrella terms

Step 2: Rubric-Based Risk Evaluation

Each claim is evaluated against a structured rubric that assesses:

  • Specificity (Is the claim precise or vague?)

  • Scope clarity (What is included — and what is not?)

  • Evidence accessibility (Is substantiation clear and consumer-reachable?)

  • Boundary accuracy (Lifecycle, geography, timeframe)

  • Comparative framing (Like-for-like or implied superiority)

Step 3: Severity Classification

Findings are categorized by risk severity:

  • High – Likely to attract regulatory scrutiny or enforcement if published as-is

  • Medium – Material clarification or substantiation gaps

  • Low – Minor or contextual issues

Severity reflects enforcement risk, not intent.

What a “Finding” Means

A finding does not mean a claim is false.

It means the claim, as written, may:

  • Be interpreted more broadly than intended

  • Lack sufficient qualification or disclosure

  • Create exposure under consumer protection or green-claims rules

Each finding includes:

  • The exact claim excerpt

  • Why it may be problematic

  • What typically reduces risk (clarification, scope, or evidence cues)

Jurisdictional Context

EcoAppraise evaluates claims with reference to enforcement expectations across major markets, including:

  • United States

  • United Kingdom

  • European Union

  • Canada

  • Australia

  • India

Jurisdiction mode can be automatic or focused, depending on the scan type.
Findings reflect overlapping global standards, not legal advice for a single country.

Verification, Reference IDs & Audit Trail

Every EcoAppraise report includes:

  • A unique reference ID

  • A time-limited verification link (default: 90 days)

  • A static snapshot of findings at the time of analysis

This creates a chain-of-custody record showing:

  • What text was reviewed

  • When it was reviewed

  • What risks were identified at that time

Verification links can be shared internally or with third parties (e.g., legal, PR, auditors, regulators) to confirm authenticity.

Updates & Rule Maintenance

EcoAppraise is a living system.

  • Evaluation rules are reviewed and updated regularly

  • Updates reflect published guidance, enforcement actions, and court outcomes

  • Methodology versions are tracked internally to ensure consistency

Reports reflect the rules in force at the time of scanning.

When EcoAppraise Is Typically Used

EcoAppraise is commonly used by:

  • In-house ESG and sustainability teams

  • Legal and compliance functions

  • Communications and PR agencies

  • Packaging and product marketing teams

  • Consultants preparing client-facing materials

Typical use cases include:

  • Pre-publication checks

  • Internal risk reviews

  • Claim language refinement

  • Documentation of good-faith compliance efforts

Limitations & Important Notes

  • EcoAppraise reviews text, not intent or operational reality

  • Absence of a finding does not guarantee compliance

  • Claims embedded in images or requiring scientific testing may not be captured

  • Dynamic or JavaScript-heavy pages are assessed on a best-effort basis

EcoAppraise outputs are decision-support tools, not legal determinations.

In Plain English

EcoAppraise helps answer one question:

“If a regulator, journalist, investor, or competitor reads this claim tomorrow — where could it be challenged?”

That visibility is often the difference between a defensible claim and an avoidable problem.

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