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.

With Provenance, brands can provide two different levels of proof.‍

Evidenced: Evidenced Proof Points require the brand to attach evidence to publicly support their claim.‍

Verified: A Proof Point is Verified when a third party confirms the claim is accurate. Verified Proof Points have a green tick to reflect the enhanced credibility of an independently validated claim.

Provenance powers sustainability claims you can trust. The global leader in sustainability marketing technology, Provenance helps brands and retailers share credible, compelling and fact-checked social and environmental impact information at the point of sale. As a registered social enterprise and a proud B Corp, Provenance exists to drive positive change through transparency.

‍

As well as the Provenance Framework, Provenance provides software solutions to help brands easily share sustainability claims with shoppers:

• Proof Points are interactive digital icons which appear on e-commerce pages or in off-pack experiences. They translate data from traceability tools, auditors and verifiers in the supply chain into the claims found in the Provenance Framework. Shoppers can click through these icons to explore credible impact information at the point of sale.
• Digital Experiences enable brands to share engaging, dynamic content with shoppers, from interactive maps showcasing your specific suppliers, to mobile-friendly stories explaining sourcing choices throughout a supply chain.

Learn more about Provenance’s software solutions here.

Provenance isn’t a marketplace or shop – we don’t sell products. Instead, we help brands share information about the impact of their products so that you can know the impact of the things you buy.

Proof Points are interactive icons representing claims about a brand or product – for example, Vegan, Certified Organic or Widely Recyclable Packaging. Using technology, they connect what brands say to real data from the supply chain and third party verification, so that shoppers can be confident in your brand’s social and environmental impact claims.

Simply click through each Proof Point to learn more about the claim or certification, and to explore the evidence behind it.

‍

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.

Although solutions are being developed, the energy consumption required by public blockchains is a legitimate cause for concern.

That’s why we use blockchain very conservatively at Provenance. We only ever use it to record third-party verification of Proof Points, where we believe a decentralised approach adds unique value to the brand and shopper.

Provenance works with 6 retailer partners to date - Beauty Heroes, DOUGLAS, Cult Beauty, Naturisimo, A Little Find and Straal. We are working on expanding our retailer network and will expect to have at least 10 by the end of the year. We would welcome your input on which retailers are most important to you and your brand so we can let you know when those are available.

Although we review evidence submitted for Proof Points, we are not a certification body. However, our technology allows brands to digitise any third party verifications and certifications. This gives shoppers certainty that a certification is authentic, and allows them to learn more about the standards required.

Claims in the Provenance Framework are divided across 5 key focus areas:

• Climate: relating to businesses practices and achievements tackling greenhouse gas emissions. 
• Workers: relating to businesses practices and achievements addressing the working conditions of workers in the supply chain/network
• Communities: relating to businesses practices and achievements improving physical and economic well being
• Nature: relating to businesses practices and achievements mitigating the businesses’ impact on water and land ecosystems as well as animal welfare.
• Waste: relating to businesses practices and achievements reducing the quantity of discarded materials and ingredients
  

For Evidenced Proof Points, supporting proof can include anything from a signed statement of assurance to a manufacturer invoice, or a report from an accredited organisation. For Verified Proof Points, Provenance works directly with third party organisations to confirm the validity of the verification.

Information about what counts as suitable evidence and verification for each unique Proof Point is publicly available in the Provenance Framework.

Provenance enables brands to share information about the impact of their products on people, animals and planet.

Our Transparency Framework – a standardised rulebook for communicating impact – includes 100+ Proof Points, ranging from ‘Audited Factory Conditions’ to ‘100% Renewable Energy’. The Framework also allows brands to publish digitised certifications, from ‘Fairtrade’ to ‘Cruelty-Free (PETA)’.

The Provenance Framework is available worldwide, but was developed in line with UK and EU ESG standards.

We fully understand the time constraints of growing brands, so we’ve designed the onboarding process to take an average of just 45 minutes for you/your team. You’ll just need to confirm which claims you’d like to make and send over the evidence that we ask for. From there, we’ll have your Proof Points live within 7 working days.

Brands pay to use our software. This allows them to communicate their progress on sustainability with shoppers and industry partners in an engaging and credible way.

We are also funded by impact investors and, in 2020, we received prize funding as part of the European Commission’s ‘Blockchains for Social Good’ initiative.

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.

Certifications are incredibly important, but the reality is that a static certification on a product page drives very low engagement from shoppers. Provenance’s clickable content on the other hand can generate a CTR of up to 6.8%.

If you’ve already invested the time and money it takes to get certified, topping this up with a small fee to digitise these claims ensures you’re driving real marketing value from your investment.

Yes, to support growing brands on their transparency journey, we offer discounts to smaller brands (brands with annual revenues of £5M or less). Please speak to our sales team if this applies to your business

Provenance is an independent social enterprise and certified B Corp that’s committed to transparency and protecting against greenwashing.

However, we recognise that like any other business, we’re not best placed to judge our own actions. So, to make sure we continue to act for people and planet as we grow, we’ve appointed our own Integrity Council.

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:

1. Standards must be transparent 
2. Every claim must come with evidence or third-party verification
3. Each data point must be clearly attributed

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.

• Explore the specification of our Proof Point system and other developer resources.
• Test the authenticity of a Proof Point.