Standard 2.2 (draft): scores for this category will appear once its release checks are complete. Any scores shown above this section were calculated under an earlier version of the Standard and will be replaced.
Absorbent and tissue hygiene: how the Throne Standard is calculated
Pack: Hygiene 2.0.0 · Standard 2.2.0 (draft) · Engine: Pillar · Status: Experimental, scores not yet published
Toilet paper, kitchen roll, tissues, wipes, tampons, pads, liners, nappies and cotton pads are scored on fibre source, material state and process, bleaching, additives, plastic, hazard, packaging and transparency. Bamboo is a feedstock, not a process: chemically pulped bamboo is never reported as 100% plant.
Criteria, weights and evidence levels| Criterion | Weight | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 |
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| Fibre source and chain of custody | 20 | Fibre named with share. | Product-scoped chain of custody or documented at least 80% post-consumer recycled share. | FSC 100%, FSC Recycled, scoped organic cotton, or verified 100% post-consumer recycled; certificate holder and mill named. |
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| Material state and process chemistry | 15 | State stated for each fibre component. | State/process disclosed; mechanical, chemically pulped or recycled fibre; regenerated only with verified closed-loop process and certified feedstock. | Mechanical plant fibre or independently verified closed-loop recovery and effluent results. |
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| Bleaching and whitening | 10 | Process named ECF/TCF/unbleached. | Evidenced TCF/unbleached and no optical brighteners. | Product-scoped independent AOX/dioxin/furan/brightener results or certified process. |
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| Additives, fragrance, lotions, dyes, inks, wet-strength and softening agents | 15 | All additives listed. | None with complete list or lotion fully disclosed and passes Beauty list. | None present and independently tested. |
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| Product synthetic polymer content excluding packaging | 15 | Every synthetic component declared including adhesives and elastics. | At most 10% synthetic polymer by declared weight. | Complete list verifies no synthetic polymer including adhesives/elastics. |
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| Hazardous substances | 15 | Test report covers legally restricted substances. | Relevant groups beyond legal minimum covered. | Independent batch results under two years old with thresholds. |
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| Packaging | 5 | Packaging materials declared. | Plastic-free wrap evidenced. | Verified at least 95% plastic-free by weight. |
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| Transparency and certification | 5 | Certificate with holder identified. | Scope verified to product. | Independent verification plus public test report. |
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Level 0 is dated contrary evidence, or a source we read that shows the practice is absent. Level 1 is a claim with no supporting evidence. A criterion whose source was not found, not read or blocked is unknown, which is different from 0. A certificate is checked for holder, scope, validity and product coverage; "free from" wording is level 1 until a test report or scoped certificate backs it.
The calculation
V = 25 × S ÷ W, where S = sum of (weight × level) and W = sum of evidenced weights
- Each level earns a quarter of the criterion's credit per step: level 4 is full credit, level 1 a quarter.
- Coverage C = 100 × W ÷ total applicable weight. Below 70% the item is unresolved; below 85% it is capped at 89.99 (3/5).
- If less than half of the total applicable weight is at level 2 or above, the value is capped at 59.99 (2/5), so a page of claims cannot score well.
- Key criterion: material state and process chemistry. A 5/5 needs it at level 3 or above, otherwise the value is capped at 99.99.
- Exact integer band tests: 5/5 when S = 4W; 4/5 when 5S ≥ 18W; 3/5 when 5S ≥ 12W; 2/5 when 5S ≥ 8W; otherwise 1/5.
Bands (the same in every category)| Value | Band |
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| 100 | 5/5 |
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| 90 to below 100 | 4/5 |
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| 60 to below 90 | 3/5 |
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| 40 to below 60 | 2/5 |
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| 0 to below 40 | 1/5 |
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All arithmetic is exact (fractions, never rounded floating point). Nothing is rounded before the band test, and each band includes its lower bound. Values are shown cut to two decimals, never rounded up, so 89.996 shows as 89.99 and is 3/5.
Worked example: illustration
No absorbent and tissue hygiene item has been scored yet, so these evidence levels are illustrative. Every number below is computed by the scoring engine. This is the Standard's own test case 24, with hazard unknown.
Illustration: claim-only bamboo toilet paper (the Standard's example A)| Criterion | Weight | Evidence level | Weight × level |
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| Fibre source and chain of custody | 20 | 1 | 20 × 1 = 20 |
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| Material state and process chemistry | 15 | 1 | 15 × 1 = 15 |
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| Bleaching and whitening | 10 | 1 | 10 × 1 = 10 |
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| Additives, fragrance, lotions, dyes, inks, wet-strength and softening agents | 15 | 1 | 15 × 1 = 15 |
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| Product synthetic polymer content excluding packaging | 15 | 1 | 15 × 1 = 15 |
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| Hazardous substances | 15 | unknown | not counted |
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| Packaging | 5 | 1 | 5 × 1 = 5 |
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| Transparency and certification | 5 | 1 | 5 × 1 = 5 |
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Calculation| Step | Result |
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| Evidenced weight W | 85 |
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| Weighted sum S | 85 |
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| Coverage C = 100 × W ÷ applicable weight | 100 × 85 ÷ 100 = 85.00% |
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| Value V = 25 × S ÷ W | 25 × 85 ÷ 85 = 25.00 |
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| Cap check | cap does not change the value: less than half the weight at level 2 or above, cap 59.99 (2/5) |
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| Result | value 25.00, band 1/5 |
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From products to a brand result
- Each parent product counts once. Sizes add no votes; variants with different complete declarations each count once and the parent takes their mean.
- The brand value is the plain mean of the unrounded product values, never weighted by price or sales. One result per category; never one overall brand score.
- A headline band needs at least 70% of eligible products assessed. Below that the result is shown as Partial, with no badge.
- Only a verified complete catalogue (a Census) can reach 5/5. Partial and sample results are capped at 4/5, and a Partial result shows its possible range, from every unresolved item at 0 to every unresolved item at 100.
- Unknown is never a fail. A missing, unread or conflicting record lowers coverage and is shown as a gap.
Evidence we use
Product pages, chain-of-custody certificates, process disclosures and test reports. Every record keeps its source address, exact locator, capture date and a SHA-256 hash of what we read. Evidence older than two years is re-checked before it supports a high level.
Why scores are not shown yet
Before any score in this category is published, no verified product has yet been confirmed at 5/5 with published evidence; the calibration run has not been reviewed and signed off; we have not yet shown that scores separate stronger from weaker products. Until then we show the evidence we have found, not a score.
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