A generic reference represents a base product style, while a color reference represents a specific color variation of that style. The choice between them determines the level of detail in your analysis, but both can be fully integrated with your e-commerce platform.
Defining the References
- Generic reference: This is a single assessment for a product style that comes in multiple colors. It assumes that all color variations have the same environmental impact.
- Example: One analysis for the “Classic T-Shirt” style, which covers the white, black, and blue versions.
- Color reference: This is a unique assessment for each individual color variant of a product style. This allows you to analyze the specific impact of each colorway.
- Example: Three separate analyses—one for the “Classic T-Shirt – White,” one for the “Classic T-Shirt – Black,” and one for the “Classic T-Shirt – Blue.”
When to use each reference
The reference you choose should depend on the specific characteristics of your product’s color variations.
Use a GENERIC reference when:
- All color options for a style use the exact same materials, dye types, and finishing processes.
- The environmental impact is identical, or the difference is negligible, across all variants.
- You only need a single, average impact score for the entire style.
Use a COLOR reference when:
- Different color options use different dye processes, chemicals, or treatments. For example, a dark color may require more intensive dyeing than a light color, or a printed version has a different process than a solid color.
- The environmental impact varies significantly between colorways.
- You want the most accurate and detailed assessment for each specific product variant you sell.
E-commerce integration for both reference types
Our platform is designed to provide seamless e-commerce integration regardless of which reference type you choose. The setup process simply differs slightly.
- For Color references: Integration is direct. Each color reference has a unique ID that you can easily map to the corresponding product SKU on your website.
- For Generic references: After creating your generic assessment in the main Traceability form, you will use a separate form to link that single generic reference to all of its associated SKUs (e.g., the SKU for the blue variant, the black variant, etc.). This ensures the correct sustainability data appears on all relevant product pages.
Our recommendation: For the most accurate environmental data, we recommend using color references whenever your variants have different production processes. However, for e-commerce integration, both methods are fully supported, allowing you to choose the approach that best fits your product’s characteristics.