The Green Product Award Seal
The Green Product Award Seal recognises a specific product, service, process or concept that has been submitted to the Green Product Award or Green Concept Award and assessed under the published Green Product Award criteria. The seal is not a general company sustainability claim and does not guarantee legal compliance. It refers only to the certified project, award year, category, scope and validity period shown on the certificate.
Who operates and assesses the award
• White Lobster GmbH & Co. KG operates the Green Product Award platform, communications and award process.
• Green Future Club gUG defines and oversees the criteria and coordinates independent assessment and monitoring under the published scheme rules.
• Independent jury experts assess eligible submissions against the criteria. Jury members must follow conflict-of-interest and recusal rules.
How submissions are assessed
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Step
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What happens
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1. Submission call
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The award invites companies, start-ups, students, graduates and other eligible participants to submit.
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2. Online submission
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Participants submit through a standardised online form. The information is stored in the award database and forms the basis for assessment.
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3. Completeness check
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The organiser checks whether the submission is formally complete. Participants may have the opportunity to optimise or clarify the submission before assessment.
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4. Jury assessment
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Each eligible submission is assessed by at least two jury members. They score seven criteria from 0 to 8 points each.
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5. Close-decision review
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In-person review and/or an online meeting may be used to discuss close decisions, evidence questions or consistency issues.
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6. Result
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Winners receive a trophy, a certificate and a document showing the points achieved.
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The seven assessment criteria
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Criterion
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Focus
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Overall Approach
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Clarity, originality, credibility and relevance of the idea.
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Elaboration
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Research, development quality, feasibility and documentation.
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Impact
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Environmental, social, user-related or systemic benefit.
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Market
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Target market clarity, credible demand, competitive positioning and potential to scale.
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Design
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Aesthetics, function, usability, packaging and honest communication.
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Innovation
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Meaningful novelty, improvement or new application.
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Sustainability
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Specific, lifecycle-aware and evidence-backed sustainability benefits.
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How scoring works
Each criterion can receive up to 8 base points.
The criteria are then weighted as follows:
• Innovation and market are weighted at 0.5 each.
• Sustainability is weighted at 2.0.
• All other criteria are weighted at 1.0.
This creates a maximum weighted score of 56 points.
Finalist status is awarded to the highest-scoring entry in a category, provided it reaches at least 18 out of 56 points. If no entry in a category reaches this minimum score, no Finalist needs to be awarded in that category.
Winner status is awarded to the highest-scoring entry in a category, provided it reaches at least 40 out of 56 points. If no entry in a category reaches this minimum score, no Winner needs to be awarded in that category.
Evidence and claim substantiation
The assessment is based on the information and evidence submitted. Sustainability and impact claims should be specific, scoped and supported by proportionate evidence, for example material data, supplier declarations, tests, certificates, LCA, EPD, repairability information, recycled-content proof or audit reports. Vague or unsupported claims carry little or no weight.
Audience Award and Editor’s Choice Winners
The Audience Award is based on public voting and reflects audience preference. It is separate from the jury-based assessment and does not influence the jury score, category ranking or Winner status. . To be eligible for the Audience Award, an entry must at least reach jury-appointed Finalist status. The Audience Award is awarded to the most voted product submitted by an established company, the most voted product submitted by a start-up, and the most voted concept. It is not awarded by jury category and is determined only by the public voting result within these three groups. Receiving the Audience Award does not prevent the same entry from also receiving a jury-appointed Finalist or Winner status, if it qualifies under the jury-based criteria.
The Editor’s Choice Award is selected independently by the award editorial team. It is separate from both the public voting result and the jury-based assessment and does not influence the jury score, category ranking, Finalist status, Winner status, or Audience Award result. . To be eligible for the Editor’s Choice, an entry must at least reach jury-appointed Finalist status. The Editor’s Choice Award may be given to an entry that the editorial team considers especially relevant, inspiring, timely, communicative, or noteworthy from an editorial perspective, for example because of its story quality, public relevance, design appeal, innovation signal, sustainability message, or suitability for communication. It may be awarded even if the entry is not the highest-scoring entry in its jury category and even if it does not win the Audience Award.
How the seal may be used
• The seal may be used only for the certified product, service, process or concept.
• The seal may be used only within the scope and validity period stated on the certificate.
• The seal must not be used as a whole-company sustainability claim unless the certificate expressly says so.
• The seal must not be described as a guarantee of EU or national legal compliance.
• Digital use should link to the certificate record or this Criteria page where technically possible.
Examples of clearer wording
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Avoid
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Use instead
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Certified sustainable product
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Winner, Green Product Award [Year], Category [X], certified under Green Product Award criteria for [scope].
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Green / eco-friendly / sustainable as a standalone claim
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Recognised for [specific characteristic], based on the submitted evidence and Green Product Award criteria.
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Company is certified sustainable
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[Product/service/concept] was recognised in the Green Product Award / Green Concept Award [Year].
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Future-proofed for EU regulations
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Assessed under published Green Product Award criteria. Not a guarantee of legal compliance.
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