The Label Detective
Separating legitimate certifications from marketing fiction
Your Progress
Section 3 of 5The Certification Jungle
Walk down any supermarket aisle and you'll see dozens of eco-labels: green leaves, blue drops, recycling arrows, "carbon neutral" badges. But which ones mean something?
The problem: Anyone can create a logo. There's no global registry of legitimate eco-certifications, and many "seals of approval" are self-awarded by companies themselves.
✅
Legitimate
Third-party audited, public criteria, verifiable
⚠️
Questionable
Weak standards, industry-funded, loopholes
🚫
Fake
Self-created, unverifiable, pure marketing
🎯 Interactive: Label Scanner
Click on any eco-label to scan and authenticate it. Learn what to look for in legitimate certifications.
👆
Scan any label to authenticate it
Click on eco-labels above to check their legitimacy
⚡ Quick Legitimacy Check
✅ Good Signs
- → Specific issuing organization named
- → Certificate/license number visible
- → Verifiable on third-party website
- → Clear, measurable standards published
🚩 Red Flags
- → Generic imagery (leaves, globes, drops)
- → Vague language ("eco-friendly," "green")
- → No way to verify the certification
- → Company-created logo with no oversight
Pro tip: Search "[certification name] + database" to find official registries. If you can't find it, it's probably fake.