The Greener Closet score is a 0–100 rating of a clothing product's potential health and environmental concerns, calculated from its stated material composition. Each product starts at 100 points; penalties are applied per material, weighted by its share of the garment, across six research-based factors, with a small adjustment for certification disclosure.
Last updated: September 2026. A higher score indicates fewer modeled concerns. Every score represents tradeoffs from disclosed composition, not a lab test or a medical judgment. Brand pages publish a separate Analyzed Product Profile methodology; that summary is not a corporate sustainability score.
Analyze a ProductEvery product is evaluated against the same six material factors. Factor weights reflect relative concern in the current model. They are updated as evidence is reviewed.
Synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon can shed plastic microfibers during wear and washing. We score the disclosed synthetic share; we do not measure a specific garment's shedding rate.
Some water- and stain-resistant finishes use PFAS. We apply a default penalty for materials commonly associated with those treatments. A fiber label does not prove a finish is present or absent.
How long a material takes to decompose. Synthetic materials can persist for hundreds of years, while natural fibers break down much faster.
The energy required to produce each material varies significantly. Polyester from virgin petroleum requires more energy than organic cotton or recycled fibers.
Certain azo dyes can release listed aromatic amines. We flag materials commonly associated with those dye processes. The fiber name does not identify the dye on a finished garment.
How much a fabric sheds fibers during use. This affects both indoor air quality and water systems when garments are washed.
We do not publish the exact combination weights, unpublished penalty table, or scoring-engine formulas. Those inputs change as the database is reviewed, and they are the core of the analysis engine. Material guides explain model assumptions qualitatively. They do not publish raw inputs or factor weights. The evidence map distinguishes sourced findings from assumptions requiring further validation. When we encounter a material we don't recognize, we flag it for review rather than guessing.
Each factor below has a public explanation, a limitation, and the primary sources currently used to support it. This map is dated because the research set can change. It does not publish the scoring engine.
Synthetic fibers such as polyester, nylon, and acrylic can shed plastic microfibers during washing. The score uses the disclosed synthetic share and the fiber's recorded microplastic type in MaterialsDB.
We do not measure how many fibers a specific garment sheds. Construction, wear, and laundry change the amount.
Some water-, grease-, and stain-resistant textile finishes use PFAS. The score applies material-class defaults; a product statement or certification must be read separately and is not evidence that the model tested the item.
A fiber label almost never proves that a PFAS finish is present or absent on the finished item. Missing disclosure is unknown.
The score uses recorded persistence/biodegradability characteristics of the disclosed fiber class, not a landfill test of the finished garment.
Blends, dyes, coatings, and trims can change end-of-life behavior. The factor is a material default. Its quantitative calibration has not been independently validated by the sources in this bibliography.
MaterialsDB stores a manufacturing-energy penalty for each fiber class. Recycled feedstock can change this factor when the listing discloses it.
This is not a product-specific life-cycle assessment or a factory audit. The bibliography does not validate the model’s quantitative energy defaults.
Some azo colorants can release listed aromatic amines. The score flags materials commonly associated with those dye processes.
The fiber name does not identify the dye. We do not test the finished colorant package.
Some constructions and fiber types shed more during use and washing. The score uses the material's recorded shedding default.
Garment construction, age, and care can dominate the material default. We do not publish a measured shedding rate for each SKU.
We can only analyze what retailers disclose. If a product page says "100% cotton," we analyze it as cotton — we can't verify claims, detect unlisted treatments, or identify supply chain issues.
We don't currently test products in a lab. Our analysis is based on stated materials and the known properties of those materials, documented in the research our database is built on.
Scores estimate potential concerns. They're not medical advice: individual sensitivity varies, and exposure context matters. Treat a score as a starting point for understanding material guides, not a comprehensive safety assessment.
Each product starts at 100 points. We apply penalties based on the materials present, weighted by their proportion in the garment and the severity of each health factor. A shirt that's 60% polyester and 40% cotton has penalties calculated separately for each material, then combined proportionally. A small adjustment reflects whether certification information is present in the product data.
The exact combination weights, unpublished penalty table, and scoring-engine formulas remain proprietary and change as the database is reviewed. Material guides explain the model's assumptions qualitatively. Neither those assumptions nor the final score are lab results for a finished garment.
Our materials database is compiled from peer-reviewed research, environmental assessments, and industry standards. The public evidence map distinguishes supporting research from model assumptions whose quantitative calibration remains unvalidated. When studies conflict, we err on the side of caution. Exact raw penalty inputs stay unpublished.
There's no universal threshold. A score of 80+ generally indicates fewer potential health concerns. A score of 50-79 is typical for many synthetic blends. Below 50 suggests more factors to consider. Context matters: a performance athletic shirt might score lower due to synthetic materials, but those materials serve a purpose. The score helps you understand tradeoffs, not make the decision for you.
We can only analyze what's disclosed. If a product page doesn't list materials or certifications, we can't factor them in. We don't currently test products in a lab — our analysis is based on stated materials and the known properties of those materials. Scores estimate potential concerns; they're not medical advice.
We add new materials as we encounter them and update existing entries when new research is published. If we analyze a product with a material we don't recognize, we flag it for review rather than guessing.
Paste any product URL to see its material breakdown and score, or read more about Greener Closet.
Analyze a Product