Sustainability characteristics
Together with you, we want to offer customers more items with a sustainability characteristic. We inform customers about these sustainability characteristics via our label. Customers can see at a glance which characteristics an item has, for example regarding origin, production, or environmental impact. This helps them make better-informed choices.
Within our wide product range, it is important that customers can make well-informed choices. Not only because of specifications or quality, but also regarding the origin, production process, and environmental impact of items. Our customers are looking for items with sustainability characteristics, and it is our responsibility to inform them correctly about this. Items with characteristics that have a demonstrable sustainability benefit compared to similar items are made easily recognisable and discoverable in our shop. So it is very important to label your items properly!
Please note: In Belgium, we do not call them sustainability characteristics, but Product Impact.
Why have your product range labelled with sustainability characteristics?
- Choice: Sustainability plays a role in the purchase decision for the majority of our customers. The labels help customers to compare items and make a choice that suits their preferences.
- Discoverability: Product range with a label is easier to find via specific filters and via overview pages with product range that has a sustainability characteristic.
- Visibility: The label is clearly displayed in the search results on the product detail pages. This makes items with a label stand out more among similar items.
- Substantiation: The labels are awarded based on criteria established together with Milieu Centraal. This adds extra credibility to the information displayed with the item.
- Costs: There are no extra costs.
Sustainability themes
Bol currently recognises quality marks and characteristics in the following themes:
- Helps save energy
- Helps save drinking water
- Helps save raw materials
- Helps save waste
- Checked raw material extraction and production process
- No or less harmful materials or ingredients
- Checked labour and/or animal welfare
- B Corp
- Helps a good cause
- Helps biodiversity
We regularly update the sustainability themes and recognised quality marks and characteristics, and we will keep you informed about them.
When does an item qualify for a label?
Items are labelled with a sustainability characteristic if they meet at least 1 of these 2 points:
- The item has an approved quality mark
- The item has an approved characteristic (e.g. washable nappy)
On the page of each theme, you can find which quality marks or characteristics within that theme can receive a label.
Labels for multiple themes
Would you like to request labels for multiple themes? You can do this all in 1 form.
Watch our webinar here
In this webinar you will learn:
- What ECGT entails and what this means for sustainability claims on our platform
- What to look out for when sharing sustainability information about your items
- How sustainability labels help customers find relevant items
- How to request labels for your product range and what proof you need for this
- Q&A
Requesting a sustainability characteristic
Do you sell product range yourself that has a quality mark or characteristic? Then it is possible to request one or more labels via the following steps:
- Check whether your product range meets the criteria of the desired label (see themes);
- Download "Sustainability_Characteristics_Application_Form" using the button below and indicate per EAN which quality mark your item carries. Does the quality mark apply to the entire brand? Then fill in the ‘brandlevel’ tab with the name of the brand and the quality mark.
- Upload the proof of your sustainability quality marks so we can be sure your product range qualifies.
- Fill in the form and click 'send'. The form can be found on every theme page. See the menu on the left.
- You will receive a response within 2 working days.