Ethical Product Data
Ethical product data is information about how a product affects people, animals and the environment, such as materials, origin, working conditions and certifications.
What is Ethical Product Data?
Ethical product data is information about how a product affects people, animals and the environment: the materials it is made of, where it comes from, the working conditions in the supply chain, its carbon footprint and the certifications it carries. It sits next to the usual specs such as size and price. Good ethical data is specific and verifiable. 'Organic cotton, GOTS certified, made in Portugal' is ethical data; 'eco-friendly' on its own is a marketing claim. It overlaps with sustainability data, but is broader, because it also covers labor and animal welfare. New EU rules, including the Digital Product Passport, turn part of this data into required fields. The Digital Product Passport guide explains which fields are coming.
Why Ethical Product Data matters for e-commerce
Shoppers filter on materials, origin and labels, and marketplaces add fields for them. Without structured ethical data, these products do not show up in those filters. The legal side matters too. The EU rules against greenwashing ban vague environmental claims that cannot be proven, and the Digital Product Passport will require material and repair data for more product groups. Storing ethical data as structured, sourced attributes keeps claims consistent on every channel and easy to back up.
Examples of Ethical Product Data
- 1Attribute: Material composition, Value: 95 percent organic cotton, 5 percent elastane, Source: supplier spec sheet
- 2Attribute: Certification, Value: Fairtrade, Proof: certificate number and expiry date
- 3Attribute: Country of manufacture, Value: Portugal
- 4Attribute: Animal testing, Value: not tested on animals, Proof: Leaping Bunny approval
The Ethical Product Data Checklist: 10 Steps to Compliance and Customer Trust
How WISEPIM Helps
- Attribute management stores materials, origin and certifications as structured fields instead of loose text.
- Quality Guard rules flag products that miss required ethical fields before they go to a channel.
- Digital asset management keeps certificates and supplier documents next to the product.
- AI translation in 70+ languages keeps ethical claims the same in every market.
Common mistakes with Ethical Product Data
- Using vague words such as 'green' or 'eco' without a measurable fact behind them.
- Keeping certificates in email instead of linking them to the product.
- Writing ethical claims in the description only, so filters and feeds cannot read them.
- Not tracking certificate expiry dates.
Tips for Ethical Product Data
- Store each claim as its own attribute with a source and, where relevant, an expiry date.
- Use the official name of each certification, so it matches marketplace value lists.
- Check the Digital Product Passport guide for fields you will need.
- Ask suppliers for ethical data in a fixed template when you onboard them.
Trends around Ethical Product Data
- The EU Digital Product Passport makes material and repair data mandatory for more product groups.
- EU rules against greenwashing restrict generic environmental claims.
- Marketplaces add dedicated fields and badges for verified certifications.
Tools for Ethical Product Data
- WISEPIM (attributes, Quality Guard rules, digital asset management)
- Sedex for supply chain audits
- EcoVadis for supplier sustainability ratings
- Higg Index for apparel and footwear impact data
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