Methodology. Updated June 2026.

Every figure on an ENVRT Digital Product Passport (DPP) is the output of a stage-by-stage Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), following the ISO 14040 / 14044 family of standards. The brand submits the fibre composition, factory locations and production stages for a garment. We run the calculation with peer-reviewed emission and water factors and publish the result on the passport. Brands attest to the underlying inputs; we own the methodology.

The headline metrics are the cradle-to-gate footprint of the garment, covering raw materials, processing, dyeing, assembly and supply chain transport. End-of-life and consumer-use phases are reported where relevant but stay separate from the cradle-to-gate figure to avoid double counting.

The EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR 2024/1781) defines three levels of granularity for a Digital Product Passport: Model, Batch and Item. Each level answers a different question.

• Model level describes the design of a garment, its fibre composition, factory locations, baseline environmental footprint, durability and care. It applies to every unit ever produced to that design.
• Batch level describes a specific production run, when and where it was made, certifications tied to that run.
• Item level uniquely identifies a single physical unit using a serialised code, supporting resale and repair tracking through that unit's lifetime.

ENVRT publishes Model-level passports as the canonical record. Item- and batch-level navigation is layered on where brands need it.

When a brand sells the same garment in multiple colourways, the DPP surfaces a swatch picker so the consumer who scans their tag lands on the right variant view. Each variant carries its own SKU, photo and colour name. The headline footprint figure does not change between variants because the underlying LCA does not change: the fibre, the factory, the supply chain and the production process are identical.

Variants are surfaced at item-level navigation under a single Model-level passport. ESPR allows this structure explicitly. Each variant SKU is its own unique identifier on the market, so a regulator can trace a scanned garment back to the specific colourway it came from. The footprint behind it remains the model-wide number.

Where colourway-specific impact is material (for example a brand running a separate dye process for one colour at a different facility), we work with the brand to register a distinct Model-level garment rather than a variant under the same parent.

Each production stage on the journey carries one of four verification tags: declared, modelled, validated or verified. These tags signal how confident we are in the input data behind that stage.

• Modelled, ENVRT applied a regional or category baseline because the brand could not provide stage-specific data.
• Declared, the brand provided data but no supporting evidence beyond their attestation.
• Validated, the brand provided data backed by supplier documentation, audited or otherwise traceable.
• Verified, the data passes a recognised third-party verification scheme such as GOTS, OEKO-TEX, RWS or a comparable audit body.

Verification tags are assigned by ENVRT, not by the brand. The brand provides evidence; we assess it; we apply the tag. This is editorial responsibility we hold, not a brand claim.

We split responsibility cleanly. Anything the brand asserts as a factual claim about their product, supply chain or compliance is a brand attestation, signed and timestamped, with the brand carrying liability for accuracy. Anything ENVRT decides as part of the methodology, the calculation engine or the verification tag is ours.

• Brand attests: material composition, mass, supplier names, factory locations, certifications held, colourway variants share the parent's materials and supply chain.
• ENVRT owns: LCA methodology and the choice of emission and water factors, verification tags, the transparency score, the Model-level scoping decision described above.

The full attestation log for any brand is available on request through their ENVRT dashboard. Attestations are written once and never edited.

We update this page when we change a calculation input, a factor source or the rules around how variants and verification tags work. Updates are timestamped and the previous version stays available in the changelog at the bottom of the dashboard.

Questions or corrections, write to info@envrt.com.