Helping brands make shopper-facing social and environmental impact claims with integrity.
The Provenance Framework supports recognised certifications
Use the framework to identify credible, shopper-facing impact claims that you can make today, and create a roadmap for future messaging.
A growing number of conscious shoppers want to make positive purchases for people and planet. But corporate claims about social and environmental impact are inconsistent, vague and unsubstantiated.
In a world rife with greenwashing, the Provenance Framework is enabling credible transparency, so that citizens can drive progress through what they choose to buy.
of beauty and wellness shoppers have difficulty trusting brands’ sustainability claims.
CAPGEMINI
of environmental claims could be misleading.
cma
We recognise that the fight against greenwashing relies on a collaborative approach and that, with ESG best practices constantly evolving, our work is never complete.
That’s why we are developing the framework with help from our Integrity Council, a body of independent stakeholders and field experts with diverse expertise and decades of combined experience, who advise us on sustainability issues and keep us accountable to our mission.
"The Provenance Framework is a practical tool that allows brands to communicate with integrity. It's a comprehensive resource, covering a wide range of sustainability issues with rigour and depth to ensure that social and environmental claims are robust."
Sarah Holloway
Sustainability Consultant & Member of the Provenance Integrity Council
Cult Beauty – one of the UK’s fastest-growing online beauty businesses – is using the Provenance Framework to deliver standardised, credible impact claims across 1,500+ products and 80+ brands.
"As sustainability becomes a ‘marketing must’, greenwashing will never be far behind and the last thing the world needs is deflated apathy from confused consumers. Provenance helps us provide our customers the verified facts they need to make confident consumption decisions that will make a difference, in a way that was previously unheard of in the beauty industry."
A small team with bold ambitions
Co-founder & Co-CEO, Cult Beauty
We know that the scope of the challenge we’re tackling is huge and that best practices in ESG evolve quickly. We strongly welcome input from individuals and organisations on how we can keep improving the framework to ensure it’s as effective as possible in helping brands avoid greenwashing in sustainability communications. Head to our contact page to get in touch.
As well as the Provenance Framework, Provenance provides software solutions to help brands easily share sustainability claims with shoppers:
Learn more about Provenance’s software solutions here.
Provenance is a software solution for sustainability communications. Our technology enables brands to communicate social and environmental impact with shoppers online and in-store in a credible way, connecting claims to supply chain data and third-party proof. By doing so, we enable shoppers to drive progress through what they buy and generate rewards for those brands making a positive impact on people and the planet. As a registered social enterprise and a proud B Corp, we exist to drive positive change through transparency.
Claims in the Provenance Framework are divided across 5 key focus areas:
The Provenance Framework is available worldwide, but was developed in line with UK and EU ESG standards.
Whilst organisations like Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offer fantastic standards and tools for measuring and improving corporate sustainability, the Provenance Framework is uniquely designed to help brands communicate their sustainability progress accurately.
The claims in the Provenance Framework address impact at a business level or a product level.
When we choose to buy something, the money we part with is a vote for the type of world we want to build. That’s why we’ve developed the framework – so that people can be better informed about the social and environmental impact of their purchases.
But we want to highlight that as a shopper, a significant amount of your money (it can typically be 50%) goes to the retailer. At the moment, the claims in the Provenance Framework address impact at a brand and product level, but they don’t account for the impact of retailers that are stocking the product.
It’s important to update claims promptly to reflect any changes in information. When brands make claims using our Proof Points technology, we verify that the information initially provided is still valid on an annual basis and we require that brands inform us as soon as any changes occur. We only display verified certifications for as long as they are valid.
To make a credible claim that shoppers can trust, keep in mind the below guiding principles:
To learn more about Provenance's Integrity Principles, click here.
Brands can use Provenance’s publishing tools to share claims from the framework as Proof Points: interactive, digital icons, available to shoppers on e-commerce pages or in off-pack experiences.
A Proof Point is Verified when a third party confirms the claim is accurate. Provenance doesn't verify a claim ourselves; verifiers must have expertise in the relevant field. Verified Proof Points have a green tick to reflect the increased credibility of an independently validated claim. This type of Proof Point displays with a green tick.
Proof Points without a Verified tick will be Evidenced - this means that a brand has provided its own evidence to support this claim. Evidenced Proof Points require evidence to be linked and therefore publicly available. This Proof Point doesn't have a green tick but shows as a brand you can back up what you say.
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