Our methods
Steps for scoring the ethical business practices of different companies
Hilde uses public data and expert opinion to evaluate topics that matter to the health & well-being of your family, workers, and the planet.
01. Research the company
Our team of sustainability experts conduct research on the company being evaluated using publicly available information provided by the company on their website, like annual sustainability reports. We also review information from other reliable public sources like universities, NGOs, and government agencies.
For example, we may analyze information from the following organizations and sites to inform how we score specific criteria in our company evaluation:
+ Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse product database
+ Environmental Working Group product database
+ Chemical Footprint Project survey results
+ Science Based Targets Network target tracker
+ Science Based Targets Initiative target dashboard
We focus on the information provided by an about "parent" companies rather than individual brands that are owned by the company being evaluated.
02. Complete an evaluation
Our evaluations are done using an established set of criteria. In general, our evaluation criteria are based on the types of impacts to people and the planet that we recognize as being important for that industry and the types of products they make and sell. Based on our experience, the criteria we select is informed by the best available information from a variety of credible, publicly available sources. Our criteria is also informed by our education and training as well as our decades of professional expertise.
We divide our evaluation criteria into four categories:
1. Ingredient Safety
Our ingredient safety criteria are designed to help us determine: How well does this brand consider the safety of chemicals present in raw materials, ingredients, and manufacturing processes for people and ecosystems?
2. Environmental Impact Reduction
Hilde environmental impacts reduction criteria are designed to help us determine: How well does this company identify the nature and extent of environmental impacts across their value chain? Are they taking meaningful steps to address those impacts?
3. Benefits for People
Hilde people benefits criteria are designed to help us determine: How well does this company identify the nature and extent of impacts (positive and negative) on people and communities across their value chain? Are they taking meaningful steps to address those impacts?
4. Accountability
Hilde accountability criteria are designed to help us determine: How well does this company integrate safety and sustainability into the way they make decisions? What policies, processes, practices do they use to hold themselves publicly accountable for their impacts on people and the planet?
03. Assign category ratings
The number and nature of the criteria that are successfully met in any given category (i.e. ingredient safety, environmental impact, benefits for people, accountability) is the basis by which Hilde calculates a "rating" for that particular category.
Our evaluation category ratings include the following:
Strong Performance: The company appears to be a top performer in this evaluation category and exhibits leadership on one or more of the issues we evaluate
Solid Baseline: The company meets most of our basic criteria and sometimes demonstrates a deeper commitment than other companies on issues in this category
Foundational Gaps: The company does not meet sufficient baseline criteria for this category and has many opportunities for improvement.
You can find these category ratings represented by icons and text in the “dashboard” section of a company evaluation page as well as in the headline for each category in the “evaluation summary” section of the company evaluation page.
Hilde reserves the right to modify or update our category ratings at any time as new information becomes available.
04. Determine company status
The results of our evaluation category ratings determine the overall rating we assign to a company, called “Hilde Status”. Our company status ratings include the following:
Recommended
We regularly try to purchase and use products made by this company or their brands in our homes
Consider
We may decide to purchase or use products made by this company or their brands in our homes when other options are not accessible
Avoid
We try to avoid purchasing or using products made by this company or their brands in our homesYou’ll find the company status rating at the top of the “dashboard” section of a company evaluation page.
Hilde reserves the right to modify or update our company status ratings at any time as new information becomes available.
Our hope is that Hilde’s platform encourages companies to publicly share more about their safety and sustainability programs (we know first hand that more happens behind the scenes). With federal rollbacks to toxic chemical laws happening—or being threatened—today’s consumers deserve more, not less information.