Environmental transparency in products: how to communicate sustainability with data

Sustainability has stopped being a "nice touch" in brand storytelling and has become a purchasing and procurement criterion. More and more customers, both consumers and companies, want concrete environmental data before deciding, and they distrust green messages that cannot be checked.

Environmental transparency is exactly that: communicating a product's impact with measurable, verifiable and easy-to-understand data, instead of vague adjectives. This article shows how to structure that information, how to verify it and how to present it in formats that build trust and, on top of that, prepare you for the regulation that is already coming.

Why is environmental transparency already a business issue?

There are three reasons that make transparency a priority, and none of them depends on a passing trend.

The first is commercial. In consumer sales, a product page that backs its claims with verified data builds more trust than a generic slogan. In the B2B channel and in public procurement, evidencing environmental performance with documents such as an Environmental Product Declaration makes it possible to add technical points in tenders with sustainability criteria.

The second is regulatory. The fight against greenwashing already has a legal basis in the European Union. Directive (EU) 2024/825, on empowering consumers for the green transition, has to be transposed into national legislation and starts to apply on 27 September 2026. It bans generic, unproven environmental claims (such as "ecological" or "environmentally friendly" without evidence) and restricts the use of carbon-neutrality labels based on offsetting alone. It is worth remembering that the separate proposal for a Green Claims Directive was withdrawn by the Commission in 2025, but 2024/825 remains fully in force.

The third is financial and reputational. Having solid environmental data makes sustainability reporting easier and improves the company's position with investors and large customers, who increasingly build these criteria into their decisions.

Transparency therefore goes from optional to an obligation with a return: it protects you legally and differentiates you commercially.

The pillars of credible environmental transparency

1. Choose the right indicators

The first step is to select a few key metrics and present them with their functional unit. A good basis is the combination of product carbon footprint, virtual water and the percentage of recycled or renewable material. Reducing the message to three indicators avoids saturation and makes comparison easier.

Each figure has to be tied to an unambiguous functional unit and cite the standard that underpins the calculation: whoever communicates CO₂ should mention ISO 14067 or the GHG Protocol Product Standard; whoever quantifies virtual water, ISO 14046 or the Water Footprint Network methodology.

2. Back the figures with a good inventory

Primary data (meters, ERP, energy billing) provide the most robust foundation and reduce uncertainty. Most companies need to complete them with secondary databases for the processes where they have no direct measurement. In our guide on the life-cycle inventory we explain how to combine both types of data without duplications or gaps.

3. Verify independently

Third-party verification is what separates credible communication from a self-declaration. An accredited verifier reviews the emission factors, checks the consistency of the mass and energy balances and confirms that the results are reliable. That seal reduces the information asymmetry between seller and buyer and, no less important, is what the anti-greenwashing regulation will require in order to sustain an environmental claim.

What are the most suitable formats for presenting environmental transparency?

Once the metric has been generated and validated, the remaining decision is how to present it. The combination of physical label, web page and downloadable document covers every audience:

• On the packaging, a simple icon informs at the point of sale.
• A QR code leads to a summary report, readable on mobile and with the sector benchmark.
• The full PDF, with the technical annexes, is hosted on the website for distributors, specialist press and auditors.

Technical information gains value when it is made understandable. Translating an abstract figure into an everyday equivalent (for example, expressing a water saving in terms the customer recognises) helps to connect, provided the equivalence is based on verifiable facts and does not exaggerate.

Technology as an ally, not a barrier

These processes may seem complex, but platforms such as Manglai automate them in a single workflow: the sustainability manager uploads the consumption data, the tool applies recognised factors, generates a product carbon footprint (PCF) report and produces a ready-to-use label. That way transparency becomes a system of control and continuous improvement, not a manual task prone to errors.

How to make the most of environmental transparency

For the investment in measurement and verification to pay off, it is worth tracking its effect on the business: how conversion evolves on pages with data versus those without, the reduction in returns when the information adjusts expectations, the mentions earned in press and social media, and the improved position with lenders and investors who value ESG performance. Measuring before and after implementing the strategy is the best way to demonstrate its return inside the organisation.

What are the main obstacles and how to overcome them?

• Lack of complete primary data. It is solved with reporting agreements with strategic suppliers and the use of sector factors while the real data arrives.
• Indicator selection. It is best to avoid metrics the customer does not understand and focus on those that already enjoy recognition.
• Risk of overwhelming the user. A maximum of three metrics on the front label, with a link to the full report, keeps the balance between rigour and clarity.

Environmental transparency: sustainability as tangible business value

Environmental transparency based on verified metrics turns sustainability into real business value. Whoever communicates their impacts with clear language, an understandable format and an audited methodology builds more trust, stands out and gets ahead of a regulation that already penalises greenwashing.

If you want to go deeper into how to communicate without falling into risky claims, we recommend our guide on how to communicate your decarbonisation strategy and avoid greenwashing. And to build the product data on which everything else rests, find out how Manglai calculates the product footprint.

Frequently asked questions about environmental transparency in products

Which standard should be cited for the carbon footprint?

ISO 14067 for the product carbon footprint, or the GHG Protocol Product Standard.

Since when are misleading environmental claims penalised?

Directive (EU) 2024/825 against greenwashing starts to apply on 27 September 2026 across the EU, after national transposition. It bans generic, unproven claims and restricts carbon-neutrality labels based on offsetting alone.

Is it necessary to publish the full report?

It is advisable to link it for anyone who wants to go deeper, although for the general public a well-presented, verified summary is usually enough.