How we verify
The method behind every badge is public. Here is how we tier businesses, score sustainability, and keep the data honest.
Three trust tiers
Every listing carries exactly one badge, reflecting how far we have checked it. Badges are never mixed with paid placement.
Badges are auto-recomputed and never bought: they reflect verifiable signals, not a paid plan.
The 4-pillar rubric
Each pillar is scored 0 to 3. We publish no single blended average: each pillar stands on its own so you see genuine strengths and weaknesses, not one number hiding them.
| Pillar | What it measures |
|---|---|
| Environment | Energy, emissions, water, waste, materials and impact on biodiversity. |
| Social | Labor conditions, safety, local community, and supply-chain fairness. |
| Governance | Ownership, business ethics, compliance and accountability. |
| Transparency | How openly the business discloses evidence, and whether it can be verified. |
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 0 | No evidence, or an unsupported claim. |
| 1 | Early: a stated commitment and first signs of action. |
| 2 | Solid: consistent practice with public evidence. |
| 3 | Leading: independently verified results, improving over time. |
Data provenance & community flagging
Every listing records where it came from: self-submitted, claimed by its owner, or compiled by the ViCo team. Expired certifications stay visible for transparency, but the badge they earned is dropped.
Anyone can report inaccurate information or greenwashing directly on a listing. Each report opens a review ticket for a staff member to re-check.
Verification is never for sale
Businesses can pay for visibility: featured placement, a richer profile, a sector banner. No one can pay to be verified or to raise a sustainability score. If that were for sale, the badge would mean nothing.