For ecolabel & certification organizations
Trust is the new currency of commerce. The ecolabels that evolve will capture it.
Growth advisory for ecolabel and certification organizations, from product-level standards to company-level certifications. I work with CEOs and executive directors to find the right brands, make certification faster and easier, and plug into the retail and data ecosystems where buying decisions are made.
The squeeze
Less willingness to pay. More demand for trust than ever.
- More labels competing for the same brands
- Downward pressure on annual and one-time fees
- Brands trimming their certification portfolios
- Slow, costly submissions and renewals
- Retailers building their own badges
- Consumers want proof, not marketing
- Retailers and procurement require verified attributes
- Regulators cracking down on vague green claims
- AI shopping tools surfacing verified attributes
- Boards and investors want credible data
The labels that win will make trust easier, faster and more valuable to earn.
Consumer trust
Consumers buy on values, and they want proof.
The stakes are highest for products that go in and on the body, and into the home: food, beauty, personal care, baby and cleaning.
Made without
Free of the chemicals and ingredients they avoid.
Organic & natural
Ingredients grown and processed the way they expect.
Cruelty-free & vegan
Not tested on animals, no animal-derived ingredients.
Responsibly sourced
Local, fair and traceable to the source.
Transparent supply chains
Who made it, where, and under what conditions.
Lower footprint
Climate, packaging and end-of-life impact.
1.7 billion certified Climate Pledge Friendly products were bought on Amazon in 2024, up 48%, and 65% of Gen Z say they’re willing to pay more for sustainable products. Sources: Amazon, December 2025; Deloitte 2025 Gen Z and Millennial Survey.
Business trust signals
In B2B, certification is becoming a requirement, not a nice-to-have.
Procurement criteria
Green and sustainable purchasing requirements in RFPs and supplier codes.
Restricted substance lists
Customer and industry RSLs pushed down every supply chain.
Retailer programs
Assortment, badges and search visibility tied to certified attributes.
Supplier data requests
Chemical, product and Scope 3 data asked of every supplier.
Certification can be the shortcut. Labels that map to procurement criteria and RSLs become the fastest way for brands to qualify, and a high-value lever for brand partnerships and growth.
The brand’s dilemma
450+ ecolabels. Which ones are worth it?
With hundreds of labels across 199 countries, every certification is a portfolio decision for a multinational manufacturer. Source: Ecolabel Index.
Values fit
Which labels match the company’s values, and which do its retailers and customers recognize?
The real cost
Testing, reformulation, supplier data, internal hours and renewals, far beyond the fee.
The payback
When does it pay back, in sales, shelf space or contracts, across thousands of SKUs?
The labels that make this decision easy, with clear fit, low effort and proven return, are the ones brands choose and keep.
Proof in the market
Retailers are turning certifications into commerce.
Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly
Launched in 2020 with 18 certifications; now recognizes 50+ third-party certifications, with a badge and search visibility.
Target Clean
An icon for products formulated without specific chemicals, so guests can shop by what’s left out.
Ulta Beauty Conscious Beauty
Clean ingredients, cruelty-free, vegan and sustainable packaging, shoppable as attributes.
Sephora
Clean at Sephora and Planet Aware: shoppable seals backed by ingredient and sustainability criteria.
From the inside: I’ve helped design, implement and scale programs at several large retailers, including Target, Ulta Beauty, Sephora and Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly.
The open window
The window is open. It won’t stay open for long.
- Data-ready criteria and certified attributes
- Built into retailer and platform programs
- Faster, easier certification and renewal
- Proven commercial ROI for brands
- Fees under pressure, renewals at risk
- Replaced by retailer badges and AI checks
- Slow processes that push brands elsewhere
- Value that’s hard to prove
Data & AI
Find the brands worth pursuing, before a competing label does.
Product and company data already shows which brands fit: their ingredients, claims, retail channels and the certifications they hold today.
01 · Map the market
Brands, products and retail channels in your categories.
02 · Score the fit
Ingredients, claims and current certifications against your criteria.
03 · Prioritize
By commercial value: retailer programs, category growth, brand size.
04 · Engage
Data-backed outreach and partner introductions.
Make certification faster and easier to earn, and to keep.
- AI pre-qualification of product fit before formal review
- Automated intake of SDS, formulation and supplier documents
- Lab testing documents and data, captured and checked automatically
- Renewals triggered by data changes, not calendars
- A clear fit answer before they invest
- Reuse of data they already hold in PLM, SDS and regulatory systems
- Simpler updates across thousands of SKUs
- Verified certification data flowing faster to stores, e-commerce and D2C channels like Shopify and TikTok Shop
The ecosystem
Grow by plugging into the systems brands and retailers already use.
Build
Your own data assets: a certified product registry, machine-readable criteria and attribute feeds.
Partner
EHS, Sustainability, and Product Stewardship software and data: SDS, regulatory, chemical intelligence and PLM providers, and testing labs.
Distribute
Retailer programs, marketplaces, product data networks, and AI shopping and procurement tools.
How I’m different
Consultants know standards. Agencies know marketing. I know how retailers and brands decide, and the data behind it.
| Compared on | Sustainability strategy firm | Certification / TIC consultant | Marketing & brand agency | Analyst / research firm | Sustaina Partners |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knows your market | Broad, generalist | Deep in standards and audits | Consumer marketing | From research | 25+ years inside product and chemical data, and its buyers |
| How retailers and brands decide | Through interviews | Through audits | Through campaigns | Through surveys | Inside the largest retailers and hundreds of their brands |
| Data, AI and systems | Strategy only | Process and compliance | Rarely | Market view only | Built and sold the data and systems brands use |
| Who does the work | Partners sell, teams deliver | Auditors | Account teams | Analysts | Me, directly |
| Best for | Big strategic resets | Audit readiness | Awareness campaigns | Market visibility | Growth: more brands, partners and revenue |
Knows your market
OthersGeneralists, standards specialists, marketers or researchers
Sustaina Partners25+ years inside product and chemical data, and its buyers
How retailers and brands decide
OthersInterviews, audits, campaigns or surveys
Sustaina PartnersInside the largest retailers and hundreds of their brands
Data, AI and systems
OthersStrategy, process or market views
Sustaina PartnersBuilt and sold the data and systems brands use
Who does the work
OthersTeams, auditors, account teams or analysts
Sustaina PartnersMe, directly
Best for
OthersResets, audit readiness, awareness or market visibility
Sustaina PartnersGrowth: more brands, partners and revenue
Engagements
Five ways to accelerate growth.
Start here: a complimentary intro call on where growth is stalling and why.
Book an intro callGrowth Diagnostic
First stepWhere growth is stalling, with brand and retailer interviews, and what to fix first. Part of the fee is credited toward a CEO Advisory Retainer.
3–4 weeksGo-to-Market Redesign
ProjectPositioning, fees, packaging and brand pipeline, rebuilt.
6–10 weeksPartnership & Ecosystem Strategy
ProjectRetail, platform and data partners aligned on growth.
6–8 weeksBoard-Ready Growth Plan
ProjectA plan your board can back, plus partnership options.
4–6 weeksCEO Advisory Retainer
Ongoing · RecommendedAn extra set of eyes, ears and a thought partner for the CEO: market intel, introductions and board preparation.
6 or 12 monthsEasy to engage: NDA as standard · retainer or project · conflicts checked before every engagement
What clients say
In their words.
Matt significantly accelerated the development of our commercial strategy through his insights and connections with key individuals across the ecosystem of system integrators, software brands and safety distributors.
I leveraged Matt’s expertise to design a go-to-market strategy to establish [us] as a leader in sustainability advisory services… I received positive feedback from all that worked with Matt.
His expertise and knowledge have proven to be invaluable resources to our core business… Matt is truly [an] expert in his field.
Request the ecolabel & certification overview
A short deck on how I work with ecolabel and certification organizations. I also advise retailers, brands, software and data companies, and other certification programs; each engagement is kept separate. How I handle independence.
The window is open
Let’s make your label the one brands and retailers choose.
Bring the growth question you’re facing: brand pipeline, certification process, fees or retail partnerships.