A label should tell you everything that went into a product.
The labels governments require today leave out most of what matters. SICA exists to close that gap, with transparency people can trust.
What labels leave out
Required labels show part of the story.
Government rules decide what a label must say, and they ask for very little. What a product is mostly made of is not the same as everything that went into it.
100% cotton
A cotton shirt
US labeling rules only count the main fabric. Sewing thread, buttons, zippers, and other trim are left out, so a “100% cotton” shirt can be stitched with polyester thread and closed with plastic buttons. The dyes, finishes, and petroleum-based chemicals used to make it are not listed at all.
Waterproof
A winter coat
Many waterproof coats are treated with PFAS, the “forever chemicals” that never break down. Independent tests have found PFAS in most of the waterproof jackets they checked, yet nothing on the tag has to say so.
Stainless steel
A mostly metal tool or appliance
Products sold as steel or cast iron often hide plastic handles, seals, and gears, and are greased with petroleum-based lubricants. None of it has to be disclosed.
SICA checks every material in a product and how it was made, then publishes what it found. Our certification creates the trustworthy transparency people need to choose well.
Own it, don’t rent it
We support private ownership, not subscriptions.
A product you buy should be yours, and it should keep working without permission from the company that made it.
- Right to repair
- Our Repairability pillar requires products that can be fixed with standard tools, free repair guides, and fairly priced parts. No locked parts, and repairs never void the warranty.
- No planned obsolescence
- Our Longevity pillar requires products built to last for decades, with spare parts available for 15 to 30 years, instead of being designed to fail early.
Why now
The cost of throwaway products keeps rising.
Every year we wait, more waste, more toxic chemicals, and more wasted energy build up.
- Microplastics in our bodies
- Researchers have found microplastics in human blood and in placentas. Plastic products shed tiny particles as they wear and break down.
- Polluted water
- Runoff from farms carries fertilizer and pesticides into rivers, lakes, and drinking water.
- Energy crises
- Energy shortages and price spikes are becoming more common, so products that waste energy cost more every year.
- Overproduction
- Companies make far more than people need to boost profits, and much of it ends up in landfills.
SICA is the answer: one open, science-based standard that rewards products made to last, to be repaired, and to be safe from start to finish.
What we would certify
Examples of the products we hope to see.
These are made-up examples to show what SICA certification is for. They are not certified products.
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A stone house built to the Passive House standard
Thick stone walls, certified insulation, and other certified materials throughout. It needs very little energy to heat or cool, lasts for generations, and every material in it is disclosed.
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A laptop you can upgrade and repair yourself
Modular parts that can be swapped as technology improves, repairs with standard screwdrivers, and compostable parts where possible, such as a hard rubber keyboard instead of a plastic one.
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Organic cotton clothing
Cotton grown organically, harvested with SICA-certified equipment, and spun, dyed, and sewn with certified materials, down to the thread and buttons.
See how a product earns SICA certification.
Every product is checked against five pillars, and every material is sorted by how well its safety is proven.