Sustainability Attributes
Sustainability attributes are product data fields that describe environmental and social properties, such as materials, recycled content, certifications, origin and repairability.
What is Sustainability Attributes?
Sustainability attributes are structured product data fields that describe a product's environmental and social properties, such as material composition, recycled content, certifications, country of origin, carbon footprint and repairability. They turn green claims into facts that shoppers, marketplaces and regulators can check. Unlike a marketing line such as "eco-friendly", a sustainability attribute has a defined value: Recycled content: 60 percent polyester, Certification: GOTS, Repairability score: 7.2. Because they are structured, channels can filter on them and regulators can audit them. They are also the building blocks of the EU Digital Product Passport, which will require many product categories to share this data. The Digital Product Passport guide covers what that means for your catalog.
Why Sustainability Attributes matters for e-commerce
Shoppers and marketplaces ask for proof behind green claims, and EU rules against greenwashing restrict vague terms such as "eco" or "climate neutral" without evidence. Structured attributes let you show the facts instead of an adjective. They also make products findable. Marketplaces and comparison sites add filters for materials and certifications, and products without the data drop out of those results. With the Digital Product Passport coming for more categories, collecting this data now saves a rush later.
Examples of Sustainability Attributes
- 1Attribute: Recycled content, Value: 60 percent recycled polyester, Source: supplier material declaration
- 2Attribute: Certification, Value: GOTS, Proof: certificate number and expiry date
- 3Attribute: Country of origin, Value: Portugal, Level: final assembly
- 4Attribute: Repairability, Value: spare parts available for 7 years, Channel: own webshop and marketplace
How WISEPIM Helps
- Attribute management lets you add sustainability fields with fixed value lists, such as certifications and materials.
- Product import brings in supplier data on materials and origin from CSV files or URLs.
- Quality Guard rules flag products that miss required sustainability fields.
- Web research can look up public product information to help fill gaps, for a person to check.
Common mistakes with Sustainability Attributes
- Using vague labels such as "eco" or "green" instead of measurable values.
- Storing sustainability information in free text, so channels cannot filter on it.
- Publishing certifications without the certificate number or expiry date.
- Copying supplier claims without asking for proof.
Tips for Sustainability Attributes
- Start with a short list: materials, recycled content, certifications and country of origin.
- Use fixed value lists so the same certification is never spelled two ways.
- Store the proof (certificate number, document link) next to each claim.
- Ask suppliers for this data in your standard data template, not by email afterward.
Trends around Sustainability Attributes
- The EU Digital Product Passport will require structured sustainability data for more product categories.
- EU rules against greenwashing limit generic environmental claims without proof.
- Marketplaces add sustainability filters and badges based on certified attributes.
Tools for Sustainability Attributes
- WISEPIM (attribute management, import and Quality Guard rules)
- EcoVadis for supplier ratings
- Carbon accounting tools such as Plan A
- GS1 standards for product data exchange
Related Terms
Also Known As
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions?
Can't find the answer you're looking for? Please get in touch with our team.
Contact Support