Every product in this directory gets a single number from 1 to 10. A 1 means the lowest plastic footprint we measure. A 10 means the highest. The goal is simple: tell you, at a glance, how much plastic a product puts into your home and the world, and why. A score is never a guess. Each one is built from the same set of factors, and each factor is checked against a named, authoritative source.
What the score is built from
We look at six things and weight them by how directly they affect you and how strong the evidence is.
- Plastic-derived chemicals of concern (30%). Phthalates, bisphenols such as BPA and BPS, PFAS, and styrene, checked against the European Chemicals Agency REACH lists of substances of very high concern and restricted substances.
- Intentionally added microplastics (25%). Microbeads, glitter, and synthetic polymers added to a product, judged against the EU restriction on intentionally added microplastics (Regulation 2023/2055).
- Packaging plastic intensity (20%). Virgin versus recycled plastic, single-use versus refillable, and whether the packaging can actually be recycled.
- Microfibre shedding (10%). For textiles and similar products, how much synthetic fibre sheds in use and washing.
- Transparency and disclosure (10%). How completely a brand discloses its ingredients and materials. If a brand will not tell us what is in a product, it cannot earn a top score, because we cannot verify it.
- Verified third-party certifications (5%). Credit for credible independent certifications.
How the number is decided
The score is not a simple average. We use a weight-of-evidence approach, which means a single serious problem is never cancelled out by good marks elsewhere. If a product contains a chemical on the REACH restricted or high-concern lists, that alone holds the score down. If a brand discloses very little, that caps how well it can score.
The bands
- 1 to 2, Low. Plastic-free or close to it, and fully disclosed.
- 3 to 6, Medium. Typical of its category, with some disclosure.
- 7 to 10, High. Heavy plastic, chemicals of concern, or little disclosure.
How we treat “plastic-free” claims
We do not take a label at face value. A product can be sold in plastic-free packaging and still rely on a synthetic polymer in the product itself. One common example is the water-soluble PVA film used in many laundry and dishwasher pods, which is a synthetic polymer that some research flags as a microplastic concern. When a claim and the full picture do not match, the score and the review reflect the full picture.
What we recommend, and what we do not
We rate products across the whole range so you can look anything up. But we only send you to buy the good ones. A Shop link appears only on products that score in the Low band or hold a verified certification. For the heavy-plastic products, we point you to a lower-plastic alternative instead. We will not help you buy more plastic.
Our sources
- European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) REACH lists of substances of very high concern and restricted substances
- EU Regulation 2023/2055 on intentionally added microplastics
- Peer-reviewed scientific studies on microplastics and plastic-associated chemicals
- Independent certification bodies for the certifications we display
We describe plastic exposure and disclosure. We do not diagnose health outcomes, and we are not giving medical advice. Scores reflect the best information available at the time of review, and we update them as products and the science change.
