Our product standard

What we do and don't claim

We read the manufacturer's material disclosures and any third-party documentation, and we check every component against the rules below. We don't lab-test products. When we say a product is "vetted against the LPP standard", that's exactly what we mean: documented, checked and re-checked, not tested in a lab.

Hard disqualifiers

Any one of these and the product isn't listed. No exceptions for commission, brand size or how nice the photos are.

Plastic touching food, drink, your mouth or your skin for long periods.That includes "BPA-free" plastics, Tritan, polypropylene, melamine, bamboo-fiber and melamine composites, PLA and "plant-based plastic", and plastic-lined paper. A different plastic is still plastic.
PTFE or other PFAS non-stick coatings, or any coating the maker won't name, on cookware or anything that touches food.
Composition we can't verify. If the maker doesn't disclose what every component is made of, we don't list it. "We couldn't confirm it" is a rejection, not a pass.
Glazed ceramic, enamel or crystal for food and drink without a published lead and cadmium compliance statement.
Textiles more than 5% synthetic (clothing, bedding, towels, cleaning cloths), because synthetic fabrics shed microfibers every time they're washed.
Greenwashing. If a brand's environmental claims contradict its own material disclosures (a "plastic-free" bottle with a plastic lid, say), it's out.
Single-use products, unless every part, packaging included, is plastic-free.

Two tiers

Plastic-free: No plastic or synthetic polymer in any component, and the packaging is plastic-free too.
Plastic-minimal: Nothing plastic touches your food, drink, mouth or skin, but a part that never touches anything (a lid's outer cap, say) or the packaging contains plastic. The listing names exactly which part and what material.

Our judgment calls, and the evidence behind them

Some materials and situations aren't covered by the rules above. Here's what we decided, and why. Where the evidence is thin, we say so.

Silicone. It's a synthetic polymer, not a conventional plastic, and it isn't inert: cured silicone contains loose siloxanes that move into fatty food when baked. One study measured up to 177 mg/kg in meat loaf baked in a silicone mold, nearly three times the EU's overall migration limit, while milk-based foods picked up almost none (Helling et al., 2010). Steam-disinfecting silicone baby bottle teats released micro- and nanoparticles (Su et al., 2022). So: we never accept silicone for baking or cooking. A small silicone seal touching a drink, hot or cold, is allowed only in plastic-minimal products, and we always name it. A product with silicone touching what you eat or drink is never "plastic-free" here.
Plastic handles and knobs you hold briefly. We found no study showing meaningful transfer from briefly handling rigid plastic. (Thermal receipts are different: their BPA sits loose on the surface.) So a rigid plastic handle or a lid knob that never touches food, drink or steam condensate is allowed in plastic-minimal products, named on the listing. Soft, rubbery plastic grips are excluded as a precaution, not because of proven harm. Plastic on the underside of a lid, in a steam vent, or anywhere it sits in hot liquid is out.
Recycled plastic. Recycled plastic can carry more, and more varied, contaminants than new plastic. Recycled plastic touching food or your mouth is out unless it comes from an authorized food-contact recycling process. Plastic packaging that never touches the product, recycled or not, caps a product at plastic-minimal.
Glass or steel containers with plastic lids are plastic-minimal only if the lid doesn't touch food in normal use. Otherwise they're rejected.
Sponges and brushes. We list cleaning tools that are reused for weeks, but their packaging must be plastic-free, and we name exactly what they're made of: a cellulose sponge is regenerated wood-pulp cellulose, usually cotton-reinforced; tampico is agave fiber. Scrub layers are often synthetic, so we check every layer.

The evidence behind every listing

A manufacturer source (spec sheet, materials page or documentation) covering the material of every component.
A third-party source or certification wherever a disqualifier depends on it, such as lead and cadmium compliance or fiber content.
The date it was last verified. We re-check every listing at least every 180 days.
The exact listing we link to, opened and checked by a person. Retail listings often bundle variants made of different materials, so we check the specific one.

Every product page shows its evidence links, so you can check our work.

How we rank what passes

Passing the standard gets a product listed. Beyond that, we favor durability and repairability, less packaging, a good end of life (it lasts decades, or can be recycled or composted), and makers who are open about their materials.

Where the money fits

Some links earn us a commission (see our disclosure). That never decides whether a product is listed or which link comes first. Where buying direct from the maker is better, because of a refill program, less packaging or a small business, we link the maker and say why, even when it pays us nothing.

Corrections

If a maker changes a material, or you spot something we missed, tell us. We'll re-check the listing, and if it no longer passes, we'll take it down.