scoring system

The eco-score is based on two criteria:

1) The Life Cycle Assessment of a product is the analysis of a product's environmental impact throughout its life, starting from the extraction of the raw materials necessary for its manufacturing to its end-of-life treatment (disposal of waste, recycling, etc...). This results in a score from 0 to 100.

2) The Bonus Malus System is a set of factors that impacts the previously mentioned score in a positive or negative manner. It takes into account:

- The origin of the product - how far its ingredients have to travel from the country of cultivation to the country of sale.
- Labels - any certificate that the food product has. Examples are: Rainforest Alliance, EU Bio, EU Organic. 
- Packaging - the packaging used will also impact the score. For example, non-recyclable food packaging will automatically lead to penalty points.
- Biodiversity - if any species of wildlife is affected by the production of the food, then penalty points will be deducted from the overall score.

The nutri-score is calculated using the nutritional data listed on the package for 100g of the product. The calculation method is based on the nutri-score, designed as part of the French national health and nutrition program. This method divides a products nutrients into positive or negative, based on the amount it contains. It takes into account calories, sugar, salt, saturated fats, proteins and fibers.

Not really. Our database contains mainly food and drink products. That doesn't mean that there might be a few cases like some protein supplements, wine, beer etc… where we do provide information. In general though, we do not provide information for those specific products.

We do include palm oil in our scoring. Palm oil almost always has a negative impact on our planet. For the production of palm oil, large chunks of rainforest get removed. So if a product contains palm oil, it will automatically have a low score.

We don't directly take pesticide levels into account. However, we do take European and local organic labels into account which guarantee the absence of chemical pesticides.

Yes, we take into account if the packaging is recyclable, biodegradable. Other aspects include the life cycle of the packaging, synthesis of the materials and percentages that would end up in landfill. Thus, the packaging used will also impact the final score. For example, non-recyclable food packaging will automatically lead to penalty points.

Yes, we do take organic labeling into account for food products. Organic labeling prohibits the most controversial substances, so organic products are already generally rated better than non-organic products due to the absence of these substances.

The score Palau assigns to each product is based completely on the category of product (ground coffee, tomato sauce, orange juice…), giving a rating that ranges from 0 to 100. A score of 🟢100/100 means that the product belongs to the top 20% products of that category. This means that it’s an excellent product with a very low impact on the planet (eco-score) or with very healthy components (nutri-score). With a 🔴1/100 score, a product belongs to the bottom 20% products of that category. This means that it's an awful product, with a very high impact on the planet (eco-score) or very unhealthy components (nutri-score).