DNS TXT record
substantly-verify=8f3a…c21b
One record in the domain's zone. We re-check it every 30 days and before every full scan.
Every “eco” in your shop will need evidence
Substantly analyses product copy against the patterns in Annex I and assembles the due-diligence record for your shop.
Free preview: 1 full catalogue scan, the 25 most serious findings in detail. No card needed.
Bamboo travel cup, 400 ml. A 100% eco-friendly product, and the cork is fully biodegradable. The cup is climate neutral — we offset the emissions from production. Packaging made from recycled material.
Findings in this text
No findings in this text.
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100% eco-friendly
A general claim — it needs evidence of excellent environmental performance for the whole product.
Annex I, 4a
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biodegradable
Needs a standard and a test report: under what conditions, in what time, to what degree.
Annex I, 4a
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climate neutral
Rests on offsetting emissions rather than on reducing the product’s own impact.
Annex I, 4c
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made from recycled material
The risk is scope: the sentence is about the packaging but sits in the product description.
Annex I, 4b
The preview runs in your browser against a shortened phrase list. Nothing leaves this page.
Directive (EU) 2024/825, Art. 2(1)(b); Directive 2005/29/EC, Annex I
- Data processed in the EU
- Data processing agreement available before any call
- Ruleset v2026.09.1, updated after regulator decisions
- A risk assessment, not legal advice
What changes on 27 September 2026
Directive (EU) 2024/825 is maximum harmonisation: 27 member states apply the same set of rules, with no transitional period and no national variation. Enforcement stays national — each member state has its own consumer authority, and for widespread infringements the rules require fines of at least 4% of turnover to be available.
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General claims with no evidence
“Eco-friendly”, “environmentally friendly”, “green” — with nothing said about what they refer to. Permitted only where recognised, excellent environmental performance of the whole product is demonstrated.
Annex I, 4a
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Own-brand labels with no certification scheme
A sustainability label awarded by the trader or by the industry itself, with no independent certification scheme and no public authority behind it.
Annex I, 2a
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Climate neutrality based on offsetting
“Climate neutral”, “CO₂ neutral”, “offset” as a claim about the product itself, when it rests solely on the purchase of offset credits.
Annex I, 4c
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A claim about the whole, evidence for a part
A sentence about the whole product when only part of it is documented — most often the packaging, or a single component.
Annex I, 4b
Catalogue review report
yourshop.eu · 3,412 items · 14 September 2026
| Product | Passage | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Bamboo cup, 400 ml | 100% eco-friendly Annex I, 4a | high |
| Cotton shopping bag | friendly to the planet Annex I, 4a | high |
| Cork for thermal bottle | biodegradable Annex I, 4a | high |
| Outer packaging | made from recycled material Annex I, 4b | medium |
| Bamboo board, 30 cm | FSC Mix, certificate SA-COC-001234 certificate | documented |
- Domain proven: yourshop.eu, DNS TXT, 31/08/2026
- Data source: CSV import, 3,412 items
- Ruleset v2026.09.1, page 1 of 14
What Substantly does
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You add your shop and prove that it is yours
A DNS TXT record or a file at
/.well-known/substantly-verify.txt. Both methods are equal — on shared hosting, DNS access is often closed. -
You upload the catalogue
A CSV or XML file from your shop's export, or an integration through our API. Titles and descriptions are enough.
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The analysis reads the copy in your language
First a lexicon of inflected and compound forms, then a language model that weighs the context and states how sure it is. The lexicon version is stored with every finding, so the same scan can be repeated a year later.
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You get a report, not a verdict
Findings by risk level, the matched passage in context, the legal reference, how sure the analysis was, and a suggested rewrite. A dated PDF with the proven domain on every page.
We change nothing in your shop. We suggest wording; a person at your company publishes it.
What happens when the catalogue changes
When the regulator issues a decision we update the ruleset and rescan. You get a message along the lines of: ruleset v2026.09 following the decision of 14 September, rescan covered 212 items, 7 new findings. Every finding stores the lexicon version, so what changed and when is on the record.
The claim register holds every claim with a status: to be documented, evidenced, rewritten. Each one shows the person who owns it, the evidence attached to it and the full history of changes. That is the material due diligence is demonstrated with, because it carries dates and names rather than intentions.
Certificate monitoring warns about expiring documents 90, 30 and 7 days before the date, and marks a claim once the last document behind it has run out.
Screenshot: certificate monitoring, 1440×900
Screenshot: the claim register, 1440×900
Who it is for
Content teams
A finding appears while the description is being written, not a month after it went live.
Every finding comes with a suggested rewrite.
Nothing changes in the shop without a person deciding it.
Developers
The API checks a single product before publication within a 3-second budget.
Documentation and keys are in the panel, with nobody to talk to first.
A CSV or XML import is the alternative when the integration has to wait.
Lawyers and agencies
The report states the legal basis for every finding.
The evidence register keeps documents next to the claims they belong to.
A sub-processing agreement, and reports under the agency’s own brand.
Screenshot: domain verification, 1440×900
Confirmed control over the domain
You check your own shop and nothing else. Before we read anything in, we ask you to confirm control over the domain — with a DNS TXT record or a file at /.well-known/substantly-verify.txt. Only a confirmed shop accepts data, whether it arrives through the API or from a CSV file.
There is no mode in which you scan a competitor's catalogue. That is a product boundary, not a technical limit: a tool for auditing other people's shops is an informer's tool — a different product, for different customers. The same rule protects you: if nobody can load someone else's catalogue, nobody is building a file on your shop here either.
File on the server
/.well-known/substantly-verify.txt
An equal method, not a fallback. On shared hosting and SaaS platforms, DNS access is often closed.
The proof is re-checked every 30 days and before every full scan. If the record disappears, scans pause, the data stays, and you have 14 days to put it back.
The scale of the risk in question
The rules provide for a penalty of up to 4% of annual turnover for widespread infringements. That is the statutory ceiling, not a forecast for your shop.
Maximum penalty the rules provide for
4% of annual turnover
What Substantly costs
A penalty depends on the authority's decision and the circumstances. We quote the statutory ceiling to show the scale — we do not predict proceedings or their outcome.
The preview covers the whole catalogue, costs nothing and needs no payment card.
What it costs
Start with a free preview of the whole catalogue. Pay once when you want a document you can show someone — or monthly when you want your claims under control over time.
Free preview
€0
- A full scan of the whole catalogue, with no SKU limit
- The 25 most serious findings in detail
- The report and the full list — in the audit or a subscription
- The same analysis and the same lexicon as the paid audit
- Every shop you prove, with no plan
One-off audit
€249
- A full catalogue scan, one payment
- A dated PDF with the proven domain on every page
- Findings exported to CSV
- A suggested rewrite beside every finding
Starter
€39
€39 a month or €390 a year
- Up to 1,000 SKUs under continuous watch
- The claims register and the evidence library
- Pre-publication checks through the API
- The full list of findings, with no limit on depth
- Dated PDF reports without limit, and CSV export
- 2 full catalogue scans a month
Growth
€99
€99 a month or €990 a year
- Up to 10,000 SKUs under continuous watch
- The claims register and the evidence library
- Pre-publication checks through the API
- The full list of findings, with no limit on depth
- Dated PDF reports without limit, and CSV export
- 2 full catalogue scans a month
Pro
€249
€249 a month or €2,490 a year
- Up to 50,000 SKUs under continuous watch
- The claims register and the evidence library
- Pre-publication checks through the API
- The full list of findings, with no limit on depth
- Dated PDF reports without limit, and CSV export
- 2 full catalogue scans a month
Prices exclude VAT.
See the full comparison of the Starter, Growth and Pro plans
Start with your own catalogue
Create an account, prove the domain, upload the export. The first scan shows how many places in your shop need evidence, and whether a full audit is worth it for you.
Questions about the date, the legal basis, or where the data is kept? We answer them in the questions.