No Packaging - Self Declared is one of the declarations under the Ekko Score Recycle Standard.
No Packaging - Self Declared means that the product you are buying literally has no packaging. (If the product is shipped to you, shipping is counted separately as we currently have no way of teleporting items yet or delivering without some kind of container.)
Every time a product is placed in packaging, you effectively end up with two products. We have traditionally seen packaging as something disposable, but increasingly see it as something we can use again - like glass jars and metal tins. The ultimate packaging is not always possible - no packaging - but where it is, its elimination means less waste and less resources used to make it in the first place.
No Packaging - Self Declared sits in the NO PACKAGING Family under the Environmental Standard: Packaging of Ekko Score. One set of weighted Ekko Score points are gathered from each Family.
These are the claimable declarations & certifications under the Environmental Standard: Recycle. Please note that different certifications and declarations may be relevant to each category.
Yes, where the impact of the claim is similar. This is how it works.
IMPORTANTLY, SELF DECLARATIONS ARE GOVERNED BY CONSUMER LAW. IT IS AGAINST THE LAW FOR BUSINESSES TO MAKE FALSE CLAIMS (INCLUDING IMPLIED CLAIMS IN A CONTEXT LIKE EKKO SCORE).
EVEN IF A PRODUCT HAS A FORMAL CERTIFICATION, THAT CERTIFICATION DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ENTIRE INTEGRITY OF THE PRODUCT'S MAKE UP.
An example might be a Handmade, Australian, Certified Organic chocolate that contains Palm Oil. Under Ekko Score, this product would claim Certified Organic and would self declare: Zero Waste Production and Australian made, but could not claim the No Palm Oil declaration. This would mean a lower score under the No Exploitation Standard, making the inclusion of Palm Oil clear to potential consumers, without detracting from its other assets.
No product is perfect, but some products are definitely better than others. Ekko Score allows you to make the best decision you can, or to put it another way, the least worst decision. And to make that decision with the confidence of not being green washed. Find out more about how Ekko Score works.