# data[].attributes.body
Response:
It is quite interesting that it mentions how labels could be fake. And I do strongly agree with the point that such complete transparency is difficult to achieve. It is not only that the companies need to open up all their data and details but such that consumers need to have certain level of knowledge to understand them; otherwise such transparency would be useless.

DQs:
1.Alright the biggest opaque issue in China is its politics. Our chairman was elected by the people who cannot vote. lol

2.I believe the best way is to reveal every aspects of such consequences and show ways that your firm would undertake to tackle them.

Vocabulary:
Gurus(n.)
Original: ...from gurus, to NGOs, to certification sharks.
Definition: any person who advices or guides
My own sentence: Being a guru of someone means to inform him/her base on one's own knowledge.
Synonym: tutor, guide

Tempting(adj.)
Original: That's why it is very tempting for marketers to come up with...
Definition: appealing to or attracting someone, even if wrong or inadvisable
My own sentence: That bottle of rum appeared to be so tempting yet I eventually refused to drink
Synonym:alluring, attractive

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Explore all newsletters

The Stakes - US Election

What's really at risk in the 2024 election? Adam Gabbatt cuts through the clutter and guides you through the biggest stories, questions and curiosities in this hugely consequential election. We'll focus on the stakes - not the odds.

Trump on Trial

Weekly, and more frequent editions during trial

Stay up to date on all of Donald Trump's trials. Guardian staff will send weekly updates each Wednesday - and more frequent editions during trial

Well Actually

Practical advice, expert insights and answers to your questions about how to live a good life

Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information click here for our privacy policy.
We operate Google reCAPTCHA to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
News, sport and opinion from the Guardian's US edition | The Guardian

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Latest US news, world news, sports, business, opinion, analysis and reviews from the Guardian, the world's leading liberal voice

# data[].attributes.headline
Common Cent B.9: Full Product Transparency Gives Consumers More Informed Choices

# data[].attributes.subject
Common Cent B.9: Full Product Transparency Gives Consumers More Informed Choices

# data[].attributes.body
Summary: The author suggested that the labels of some products doesn't provide enough information about environmental impact, since the labels themselves are lack of technical certification. Then the author pointed out that most companies have this problem. In order to prevent consumers from purchasing potential unconscious products, full product transparency should be considered by companies and should be applied in their products.

Response: The point of full product transparency drew my attention since it is a popular phenomenon in my daily life. We are able to catch the nutrition of a bag of candies or the raw materials of a pair of trousers, but it is much more difficult for us to locate the information regarding the environmental impact. In fact, consumers themselves seldom closely follow the influence of their purchasing. It is well known that all the resource, especially the non-renewable energy resource of the Earth steeply decreased due to a large amount of people with their demand. Therefore, the business should be responsible for developing people's consciousness of saving energy, and one of the best method is specifying the environmental influence of the products.

DQs:
1. Do you think the similar "opaque" phenomenon appear in your country? Show your examples here. (You guys know what I mean. ^_^)

2.If you were the CEO of a new business, what would you do for informing the public of the environmental impact of your products?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
You go to the supermarket and you get offered a carbon neutral T-shirt, an organic T-shirt and a recycled T-shirt. Which one do you choose?

It's not surprising that people look for shortcuts to help them decide. After all, few of us have the time to study the true environmental impact of every purchase we make. That's why there have been so many people - from gurus, to NGOs, to certification sharks, to industry associations - inventing so many lucrative labels that offer quick assurance about product sustainability credentials.

But when you look carefully at how some labels are administered, you realise how flawed they are. Most are too easy to obtain, which is obvious because the easier your label is to get, the bigger your market becomes. Most labels are very narrow in scope, measuring the easiest things rather than the big ticket issues. Many lack independent certification or may even be administered by the manufacturers themselves. Many labels duplicate each other, confusing clients and leaving manufacturers obliged to certify the same product several times.

Unfortunately, some of the best marketed labels are the least robust.

Full product transparency is the future

Conventional marketing is about strong, simple claims like "cheapest", "fastest" and "biggest". That's why it is very tempting for marketers to come up with single benefit claims about a product and the environment. But what about the real impact of a product?

For a consumer goods company such as Unilever, about 95% of a product's impacts typically come from outside the company's own operations. For Apple, it's 98%. You can calculate this using a life cycle assessment (LCA), a technique to assess environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product's life, including raw materials, extraction, processing and transport; manufacturing; delivery and installation; customer use; and end of life (such as disposal or recycling).

Today, very few companies provide customers with the true environmental impact of their product, although Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) - a statement of a product's "ingredients" and environmental impacts across its life cycle - are quite well developed. In the same way that nutritional labels help consumers compare the health benefits of food items, an EPD enables them to compare the environmental impacts of products.

What would you find in the EPD of, let's say, a car? The biggest impact of car is on its use phase - ie all the fuel consumed to run the car, which is about 80% of its total carbon footprint. So a metric such as gCO2/km for average emissions for new cars is a good proxy for understanding a car's environmental impact.

Full product transparency is the concept of publishing all the environmental impacts of all your products for all the life cycle stages. It's quite radical today, but in a few years time it will be as usual as corporate sustainability reporting and nutrition information.

Today, nobody certifies whether a yoghurt or a burger is good for your health. You just look at the calories and the nutrition facts and you judge. This is what the book Full Product Transparency is arguing for: the environmental impacts of products, and full product transparency.

One day we will be able to make decisions based on the full picture. It will be the end of greenwash, and the beginning of a more conscious approach to buying.
Ramon Arratia is sustainability director at Interface. He has drawn on content from This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. Become a GSB member to get more stories like this direct to your inbox Full Product Transparency: Cutting the Fluff Out of Sustainability, published this week by Dō Sustainability. For 15% off the RRP of this book, use code GSB15 when you order from www.dosustainability.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Full product transparency gives consumers more informed choices

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
You go to the supermarket and you get offered a carbon neutral T-shirt, an organic T-shirt and a recycled T-shirt. Which one do you choose? It's not surprising that people look for shortcuts to help them decide. After all, few of us have the time to study the true environmental impact of every purchase we make.

# data[].attributes.body
robust (adj.)
Original: "Unfortunately, some of the best-marketed labels are the least robust."
Definition: sturdy and strong in form, constitution or construction
My own sentence: A robust body is the basis of our daily work.
Synonyms: rugged

proxy (n.)
Original: "A metric... for new cars is a good proxy for understanding a car's environmental impact."
Definition: a power of attorney document given by shareholders of a corporation authorizing a specific vote on their behalf at a corporate meeting
My own sentence: The Tencent recently won the proxy of a global game
Synonyms: agent