# See who owns this brand — and what they stand for.

Scan any product. Ethos opens the file: who owns the brand, who they fund, what they campaign for — and where. Every claim carries its source. *You* decide what matters.

## Specimen dossier (illustrative example, not a real record)

- **Axis 02 · Environment:** Ruled by the UK advertising regulator in 2025 to have made misleading environmental claims in a national campaign.
- **Axis 01 · Activism intensity:** Ran a cause campaign in US and EU markets in 2025; audience and market scope cited in company materials.
- **Axis 04 · Political donations:** Corporate PAC gave $410,000 in the 2024 cycle: 54% to one party, 46% to the other.

## Why the ownership question is rising

> 82% of people across a 14-country average say trusting *the company that owns the brand* is important or a dealbreaker in what they actually buy — one of the highest-scoring purchase criteria measured.
> — [Edelman Trust Institute — 2024 Trust Barometer Special Report: Brands and Politics](https://www.edelman.com/sites/g/files/aatuss191/files/2024-06/2024%20Edelman%20Trust%20Barometer%20Special%20Report%20Brands%20and%20Politics%20Final.pdf) · 14-market general-population average, n=14,957, fielded April 2024

> 40% of green claims made online could be misleading consumers, a UK Competition and Markets Authority-led international sweep of company websites found — nearly 500 sites analysed across clothing, cosmetics, and food.
> — [UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), coordinating the ICPEN global sweep](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/global-sweep-finds-40-of-firms-green-claims-could-be-misleading) · published 28 January 2021

> "Too many businesses are falsely taking credit for being green, while genuinely eco-friendly firms don't get the recognition they deserve." — Andrea Coscelli, then Chief Executive, UK Competition and Markets Authority · [CMA press release, September 2021](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/greenwashing-cma-puts-businesses-on-notice)

## How it works

- **Step 1: Scan** — Point the camera at any barcode in the aisle, or search a brand by name.
- **Step 2: The file** — Ethos resolves the ownership chain — brand, subsidiary, parent — and opens the dossier: dated facts, each with its source.
- **Step 3: Your score** — Your private weights are applied on your device. One number: how well this brand matches *your* values.

## What goes on file

- Cause campaigning — Recorded public stands on causes, themes cited, audience cited, and whether the same campaign runs in all markets.
- Environment — Emissions record, sourcing, certifications, and documented misleading-claims rulings.
- Political donations — Where corporate and leadership money went, from public filings.
- Labor record — Supply-chain findings, settlements, working-conditions rulings.
- Animal welfare — Testing policies and sourcing practices on record.
- Domestic manufacturing — Where products are actually made, and how much of the company is domestic.
- Faith-based records — Documented faith-based partnerships, policies, or campaigns.
- Boycott lists — List name, orientation, and date shown as information; screens only apply if you turn them on.

## The Ethos position

> Dossiers are identical for everyone. Your weights are private.

Ethos records what companies do. It holds no opinion on what you should think about it. Sided values offer both poles; screens only apply if you turn them on. Read the [verification methodology](https://ethosscan.com/methodology).

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Updated July 2026
Source: https://ethosscan.com/