Environmental data has a commercial consequence when it supports an explanation about a product. Sphera describes OLYMP’s case , using life-cycle assessment of packaging and DEKRA support to substantiate external communication. The information reaches a promise a customer can examine.
For a business selling sustainability software, data and services, that destination provides a concrete value criterion. A dashboard opened demonstrates tool use. A supported claim identifies work the buyer could accomplish with it. The distinction connects software adoption with communication and selling.
Identifying a product and trusting its claim are distinct barriers
Barriers reported by people wanting to buy or wear fashion more sustainably. GlobeScan survey for Zalando, February 2025.
Tap or hover for details. All values are also available in the data table.
Collapse notes
Online panel in Germany, France, Italy, Sweden and the UK, aged 18–44. Total study: 5,013; this question: 4,755 people wanting to change their habits, up to five responses. Four selected Statista barriers. Does not represent all Europe or Sphera/OLYMP sales outcomes.
Explore the data table
| Category | Cite each barrier |
|---|---|
| Prices too high | 41% |
| Products hard to identify | 27% |
| Unsure where to shop | 24% |
| Distrust of sustainability claims | 19% |
The GlobeScan survey for Zalando, compiled by Statista, separates difficulties identifying products, cited by 27%, from distrust of claims, by 19%, among respondents wanting to change their habits. Documentary evidence can address those questions; price, cited by 41%, presents a different barrier.
A product reference keeps a figure connected to its subject
Sphera’s product carbon footprint assessment collects supplier information and considers quality, method and verification. It also matches product codes with existing systems. The detail matters: a figure lacking the correct reference can become separated from the item a buyer is asking about.
The sales team needs to know which product the data covers, the calculation’s scope and its supporting document. Changing a material or formulation can require reviewing that connection. A figure stored in a system does not itself establish whether it still describes the product being offered.
Marketing’s task begins with preserving those conditions when writing. A packaging result does not automatically describe every impact of the garment. Extending the commercial language beyond the assessed subject weakens the evidence the software helped prepare.
Buyers ask for product changes and an explanation of their impact
Actions requested of brands and retailers by participants expecting help to change their habits. This is a different question from the barriers question.
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Same five-country study, February 2025, ages 18–44. This question: 4,363 people expecting help from brands and retailers; multiple responses. Five selected actions. Expectations do not prove that disclosing a carbon footprint causes a purchase.
Explore the data table
| Category | Request each action |
|---|---|
| More affordable prices | 38% |
| Sustainable or recycled materials | 33% |
| Less packaging waste and greener shipping | 32% |
| Disclose environmental and social impacts | 29% |
| Care and repair guidance | 27% |
In a different question from the same study, 29% of those expecting brands to help request disclosure of products’ environmental and social impact. Another 32% request less packaging waste and greener shipping. For a Sphera client, retaining the calculation’s scope allows an explanation of what was assessed without presenting packaging as evidence for a garment’s entire impact.
Renewal also depends on buyers’ questions
Another Sphera case, involving Endress+Hauser , begins with growing demand for reliable product carbon footprints across its portfolio. Its response combines a parameterised model with assessment and calculation tools. The commercial distinction is repeating a documented answer for different products while retaining the relationship between data and reference.
Expansion of a Sphera account can rest on that usable work: how many references have current evidence and which commercial questions the buyer can answer. Platform access volumes add operational information but do not establish which documents reached sales or which claims could be substantiated.
The public cases describe capabilities and customer experiences from the supplier’s perspective. They do not isolate additional revenue or guarantee that every communication satisfies all applicable requirements. They do support analysis of continuity between calculation, product and message.
The next module or service has a purchasing argument when it extends that continuity. For Sphera, demonstrating how a company keeps evidence connected to its catalogue brings software closer to a recognisable commercial need. Value reaches the point where a buyer asks about a product and the answer retains its data, scope and supporting evidence.
In this article
Marian Vasile
Marian Vasile is a MarTech and growth professional. His work spans product marketing, SEO, paid advertising and deep online tracking, including behavioral analytics and attribution.
