Ranking of sustainability-related product information in E-Commerce (Top100 Online Shops)

Product information serves to provide consumers with information and guidance about the sustainability of goods. Thus, product information works as a decision-making aid between more or less sustainable products. Given the overall importance of the Internet, e-commerce has not only become an increasingly important source of supply for consumer goods, but also a first-class source of information. This is of particular importance to the product-related environmental information, which is provided (or not provided) by online shops.

This project deals with the environmentally relevant product information provided by the most important online shops in Germany (top 100), on the basis of several thousand product presentations to be examined. The results are to be published in the form of a ranking in order to stimulate the dialogue with the industry.

Objectives

The aim of the project is to promote relevant knowledge and to stimulate the public debate by:

• a contribution to the definition of sustainability-related product information services in e-commerce,
• developing and applying a method for the assessment and comparative analysis of such information in order to assess, document and document the status of 2017,
• the presentation of the results in the form of a comparative top100 ranking, taking into account the usual as well as the best practice, and
• publishing a report in order to to promote awareness and to improve sustainability-related information.

Method

By means of desk research, the quantity and quality of product information relevant to sustainability will be examined regarding the top100 online shops in Germany and the most important green online shops. It will be analyzed which sustainability-relevant product information is available and whether sustainability-oriented consumer attitudes are supported. Additionally, the presence of such information and their presentation will be examined and documented. Finally, the quantity and quality of relevant information will be are analyzed and a ranking by company will be set up. The results will be made available to the public.