Label & Certification Lookup: what the logo actually proves
Every mark, what it audits — and what it quietly leaves out.
There are hundreds of ethical and environmental marks in circulation, and shoppers are expected to tell a rigorously audited certification apart from a logo a brand designed itself last quarter. Nothing on the packaging helps you do that.
The Label & Certification Lookup gives each mark a straight answer in four parts: what it is, how it is verified, what it does not cover, and the lookalike claims that trade on its reputation.
The four questions worth asking about any mark
A certification is only as good as its scope and its audit. Both are usually invisible on the pack.
- Who owns it — an independent non-profit, an industry body, or the brand itself?
- How is compliance checked — annual on-site audit, document review, or self-declaration?
- What is in scope — the finished product, the supply chain, the factory, or only one ingredient?
- What is explicitly out of scope — animal testing, labour conditions, packaging, deforestation?
Why scope matters more than the logo count
Leaping Bunny covers animal testing across the supply chain, but says nothing about vegan ingredients. A vegan certification covers ingredients, but nothing about testing. GOTS covers organic fibre and labour standards, but not the dye house of an unrelated product line. B Corp scores a company, not the item in your basket.
A product with four marks may still fail on the one thing you personally care about. Reading scope beats counting logos.
Handling marks you cannot find
If a symbol on a pack does not appear in the lookup, treat it as a self-declared marketing claim until the brand shows the certificate. Genuine certification bodies publish public registries of licensees; a mark whose issuing body cannot be found online is not a certification.
Frequently asked questions
Is a certified product always better?+
Not necessarily. Certification costs money, so some small, genuinely ethical makers stay uncertified. Use marks as evidence, not as the whole verdict.
Do you charge certification bodies for inclusion?+
No. There are no sponsored or paid entries in the lookup.
What if two marks contradict each other?+
Compare their scope. They usually cover different questions rather than genuinely disagreeing.
Keep reading
Greenwashing Checker: test the words on the pack
Paste the copy. See which claims mean something and which mean nothing.
Methodology: how every score is calculated
Published in full, applied identically, open to challenge.
Cruelty-free: the claim with the most loopholes in retail
Three certifications hold up. Almost everything else is a bunny drawing.
Reviewed and maintained by the EthiCompare editorial team.