OtterList Standards

OtterList exists to help people discover better products from better businesses. We look for brands making a genuine effort toward sustainability, ethics, transparency, and more intentional production practices.

We don’t expect perfection, but we do prioritize businesses genuinely trying to create products more responsibly and operate with integrity.

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Sustainability

Safer materials, lower-waste packaging, better ingredients, and more responsible production whenever possible.

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Ethics

Independent brands, ethical sourcing, cruelty-free products, fair labor, and businesses trying to do things the right way.

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Transparency

Clear ingredient lists, honest communication, sourcing transparency, and openness about how products are made.

● OUR NON-NEGOTIABLES

What We Stand For

These are the baseline principles every brand on OtterList must align with before being featured.

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Independent

We prioritize independent brands, creators, artisans, and family-run businesses over massive corporations.

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Better Ingredients

We prioritize safer, more intentional ingredients and materials whenever possible while avoiding unnecessary toxins and harmful additives.

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Intentional, Not Greenwashed

We look for brands genuinely trying to build something better, not companies using sustainability as a marketing trend.

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Less Plastic

We prioritize products and packaging designed to reduce unnecessary plastic waste whenever possible.

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Human-Created

We support real artists, makers, and creators. OtterList does not allow AI-generated artwork.

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Transparency

Clear ingredient lists, sourcing information, and honest communication are essential for trust.

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Small Brands Over Mass Production

We prioritize independent brands, makers, artisans, and family-run businesses over mass-produced products from giant corporations.

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Cruelty-Free

No animal testing. We heavily prioritize vegan and cruelty-free products throughout the platform.

● CORE STANDARDS

How Our Tags Work

OtterList products can be tagged with Core Standards to help shoppers quickly understand what makes a product or brand different. These tags are a guide, not a guarantee, and our review process will continue improving over time.

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Sustainability Standards

These tags highlight materials, ingredients, packaging, and product choices designed to reduce waste and environmental impact.

Sustainable Materials

Made using responsibly sourced, renewable, recycled, or upcycled materials designed to minimize environmental impact.

Non-Toxic

Made without known harmful or hazardous chemicals, based on material disclosures or manufacturer claims.

Clean Ingredients

Products with transparent ingredient lists and ingredients that the brand represents as clean. This designation is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice or a safety certification.

Organic

Uses organically grown ingredients or materials, whether certified or not.

Plastic-Free

Made without plastic in the product or packaging whenever possible.

Low-Plastic

Uses less plastic than conventional alternatives, either in the product, packaging, or both.

Recycled Materials

Made with recycled materials to help reduce waste and the need for newly produced materials.

Low-Waste

Designed to minimize waste through production, packaging, use, or end-of-life disposal.

Refillable

Designed to be refilled or replenished, reducing repeat packaging waste.

Reusable

Designed for repeated use instead of single-use or disposable alternatives.

Long-Life

Durable products built to last longer than conventional alternatives.

Biodegradable

Products or packaging that naturally break down over time into non-toxic components.

Compostable

Products or packaging designed to decompose in home or industrial compost systems.

Eco-Friendly Packaging

Packaging designed to reduce waste, such as compostable, recyclable, plastic-free, minimal, or recycled packaging.

Climate Conscious

Takes meaningful steps to reduce or balance carbon impact through operations, production, shipping, or packaging.

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Ethical Standards

These tags highlight how a brand treats people, animals, makers, communities, and the larger world around it. All brands on OtterList must be founder-led or independently owned, not part of a major corporation or conglomerate.

Ethical Sourcing

Uses sourcing practices that consider people, animals, workers, communities, and environmental impact.

Fair Labor

Prioritizes fair wages, safe working conditions, and ethical treatment for workers.

Local Sourcing

Ingredients, materials, or production are sourced locally or regionally whenever possible.

Artisan-Made

Handcrafted by skilled makers, artists, or craftspeople using intentional production methods.

Small Batch / Handmade

Created in smaller quantities or by hand to support quality, craftsmanship, and lower-waste production.

Vegan

Made without animal-derived ingredients or materials.

Cruelty-Free

Not tested on animals at any stage.

Gives Back

A portion of proceeds, resources, or time supports social, environmental, animal, or community causes.

Woman-Owned

Self-identified as woman-owned, woman-led, or majority female-owned.

Minority-Owned

Self-identified as minority-owned or majority BIPOC-owned.

Family-Owned

Owned and operated by a family, with leadership and decision-making kept independent.

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Transparency Standards

These tags help shoppers understand what information a brand clearly shares about ingredients, materials, sourcing, and production.

Ingredients / Materials Listed

Products featured on OtterList must include a complete list of ingredients or materials directly on the listing.

Transparent Sourcing

The brand clearly shares where materials come from, how products are made, or what sourcing standards are used.

Certifications

Verified certifications held by a brand may appear on product cards and product pages, and may also be available as filters on collection pages.

Accuracy & Integrity

Ethical and sustainability information is provided by brands or gathered from publicly available sources. OtterList does its best to review claims carefully, but shoppers should use tags as a helpful starting point.