Materials & sustainability
Learn how material and environmental information fits into a wider product information process.
Keep claims connected to evidence
Environmental and materials information needs clear definitions, boundaries, and supporting records. Avoid treating an attractive dashboard as proof of the underlying data.
Useful starting points
- Record methods, units, and source versions.
- Distinguish measured information from estimates.
- Review applicable requirements before making public claims.
Guides in this topic
Carbon footprint data and methods: primary data, secondary data and the JRC rules
Carbon footprint calculation needs primary data for the foreground processes and consistent secondary data for the background, under the JRC method rules.
Carbon footprint declaration explained: what Article 7 requires for a battery model
A carbon footprint declaration states the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of a battery model per manufacturing plant, calculated by a prescribed method.
Carbon data gaps: missing primary data, proxies and the limits of a footprint figure
Carbon data gaps are stated with the proxy or default used, the reason, and the effect on the figure, never hidden behind a precise looking number.
Comparing carbon figures across batteries: a matched comparison method
A valid carbon comparison matches functional unit, boundary, method, plant type and service life basis, and states every difference that remains.
Durability and repairability information: what a passport shows about life, repair and spare parts
Durability and repairability information in a passport points to performance values, dismantling detail and spare part sources, without promising a life or a repair outcome.
Material origin information: what a passport can and cannot say about where materials came from
Material origin information in a passport is limited to what due diligence and chain of custody evidence supports, at a stated level of granularity.
Recycled content evidence: chain of custody, mass balance and verification for recovered materials
Recycled content evidence links a declared share to chain of custody records, mass balance calculation and verification, without treating a certificate alone as proof.
Recycled content declaration: documenting cobalt, lead, lithium and nickel recovered from waste
A recycled content declaration documents the share of each listed material recovered from waste and present in active materials, by a prescribed calculation method.
Recycled shares for cobalt, lithium, nickel and lead: reading the four percentages together
The four recycled content percentages are separate claims for separate materials, with different minimums, different supply chains and different reading risks.
Substances of concern: restricted substances, labelling and the passport record
Substances of concern in batteries are controlled by Article 6 and Annex I restrictions, by labelling, and by passport information, each with its own threshold and scope.
Sustainability claims and greenwashing risk: substantiation, scope and the consumer rules
Sustainability claims need scientific substantiation, a stated scope, and independent verification where the rules require it, or they risk being treated as misleading.
What carbon figures must not claim: comparisons, neutrality and thresholds without scope and method
A carbon figure must never be presented as a comparison, a neutrality claim, or a threshold pass without matching scope, method and functional unit.