Glossary
The vocabulary. Without the textbook.
Key terms in fashion sustainability, Digital Product Passports, Life Cycle Assessment and environmental regulation. Plain definitions, no marketing gloss.
1 terms
AWARE Method
Available WAter REmaining. The recommended water scarcity characterisation method under the EU Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) framework. AWARE weights water consumption against regional scarcity factors, producing a figure in cubic metres of world-equivalent water (m³ world-eq) that reflects actual environmental stress rather than volume alone.
4 terms
Carbon Footprint
The sum of greenhouse gas emissions and removals associated with a product, expressed in kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent (kg CO₂e). For garments, this is calculated using Life Cycle Assessment across the product's supply chain stages.
Cradle-to-Gate
A system boundary for Life Cycle Assessment that covers everything from raw material extraction through to the finished product leaving the factory. This is the most common scope in fashion LCA because it captures the bulk of supply chain impacts and is where brands have the most opportunity to intervene.
Cradle-to-Grave
A system boundary for Life Cycle Assessment that extends from raw material extraction through manufacturing, consumer use (washing, drying, ironing) and end-of-life disposal. This scope introduces variability because consumer behaviour differs by geography and demographic.
CSRD
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. EU legislation requiring structured environmental and social disclosures from companies meeting defined size thresholds. Includes value chain (Scope 3) emissions reporting. Non-EU companies with more than €150 million in EU net turnover come into scope from 2028.
2 terms
Delegated Act
A legally binding regulation adopted by the European Commission under powers granted by a parent regulation. Under the ESPR, delegated acts define product-specific requirements including DPP content, performance standards and implementation timelines for each product group.
Digital Product Passport (DPP)
A structured digital record linked to a physical product, typically via a QR code or NFC tag. Under the EU ESPR framework, the DPP provides standardised access to product information including environmental performance, material composition, durability and circularity data. The DPP applies at the product level, not the brand level.
2 terms
Environmental Footprint
A quantified assessment of a product's environmental impacts across its life cycle, covering multiple impact categories. Under the EU PEF method, this includes 16 categories such as climate change, water use, acidification and resource depletion. Not limited to carbon alone.
ESPR
Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation. EU regulation establishing a framework for improving the environmental sustainability and circularity of products placed on the EU market. Introduces the Digital Product Passport and empowers the Commission to set product-specific performance and information requirements through delegated acts.
3 terms
Green Claims Directive
Proposed EU legislation that will require brands to substantiate environmental marketing claims with a recognised methodology before publication. Claims such as “eco-friendly” or “sustainable” will need to be backed by verified, product-level performance data.
Greenwashing
Making environmental claims that are misleading, unsubstantiated or disproportionate to the evidence available. In fashion, greenwashing most commonly results from disconnected workflows where marketing copy is written before the sustainability team has confirmed what can be proven at the product level.
GHG Protocol
The Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Standard, developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Defines three scopes of greenhouse gas emissions. For fashion brands, Scope 3 (value chain emissions) typically accounts for over 90% of total emissions.
1 terms
Hotspot
The life cycle stage, process or material that contributes the largest share of environmental impact for a product. In fashion, hotspots tend to cluster in fibre production, wet processing (dyeing and finishing) and manufacturing energy. Hotspots are not universal and shift depending on fibre mix, production geography and assessment scope.
1 terms
ISO 14040
International standard for Life Cycle Assessment, establishing principles and framework for how LCA studies should be defined, built and interpreted. Together with ISO 14044 (requirements and guidelines), it provides the methodological basis for credible, comparable environmental assessment.
1 terms
LCA (Life Cycle Assessment)
A structured method for quantifying the environmental impacts of a product across its life cycle, from raw material extraction through manufacturing, use and disposal. Governed by ISO 14040 and ISO 14044. In fashion, LCA traces a garment from fibre production through to the factory gate (cradle-to-gate) or through consumer use and end of life (cradle-to-grave).
2 terms
PEF (Product Environmental Footprint)
A standardised EU methodology for calculating the environmental performance of a product across its life cycle. More prescriptive than traditional LCA, PEF specifies 16 impact categories, characterisation methods, data quality rules and normalisation steps to enable comparable results across products in the same category.
PEFCR
Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules. Product-specific rules within the PEF framework that define exactly how an LCA study should be conducted for a given product category, including the functional unit, system boundaries, data quality requirements and allocation rules. The PEFCR for apparel and footwear is the reference document for fashion.
4 terms
Scope 1 Emissions
Direct greenhouse gas emissions from sources owned or controlled by a company. For fashion brands, this typically means company-operated vehicles, on-site heating and any owned manufacturing facilities. Usually a small share of total emissions.
Scope 2 Emissions
Indirect greenhouse gas emissions from purchased electricity, steam, heating and cooling consumed by a company. Office energy, warehouse operations and owned retail store electricity fall here. For most fashion brands, a relatively small share of total emissions.
Scope 3 Emissions
All other indirect emissions occurring in a company's value chain, both upstream (supply chain) and downstream (product use and end of life). For fashion brands, Scope 3 typically accounts for over 90% of total greenhouse gas emissions because most brands do not own their factories or grow their raw materials.
Substances of Concern
As defined by the ESPR, substances that adversely affect human health or the environment, or that hinder reuse, refurbishment or high-quality recycling. Includes SVHC under REACH, carcinogens, mutagens, reproductive toxins and persistent organic pollutants.
1 terms
Transparency Score
A proprietary ENVRT metric reflecting the quality and completeness of the data underpinning a product's environmental assessment. Higher scores indicate more specific, supplier-verified data inputs rather than database defaults or industry averages.
2 terms
Water Scarcity Impact
The environmental impact of water consumption weighted by regional scarcity. Measured using the AWARE method, which reflects how much water remains available in a watershed after human and ecosystem needs have been met. Water consumed in severely stressed basins can carry a scarcity factor 50 to 100 times higher than water-abundant regions.
Wet Processing
The collective term for dyeing, finishing, washing and bleaching processes in textile manufacturing. Wet processing is typically among the most energy-intensive and water-intensive stages in garment production, and is often a significant environmental hotspot.
One last thing
Try ENVRT on one garment. See if it earns the QR.
Submit a single product. We'll return a regulation-ready Digital Product Passport within a day, no card required.