SPD-300: Verification & Review Protocol is the core verification document of the Sustainable Product Declaration system developed by United Metric Association. It defines how SPD information, evidence, assumptions, boundaries, indicators, report content, communication wording and registry readiness are reviewed to ensure consistency, credibility, traceability and alignment with SPD requirements. Within the SPD system architecture, SPD-300 is identified as the document that defines verification principles, reviewer roles, evidence review and nonconformity handling. 

The purpose of SPD-300 is to strengthen the credibility of product-level sustainability declarations by ensuring that SPD outputs are not based only on self-declared or promotional claims. The protocol establishes a structured review approach through which submitted data, documents, calculations, supplier information, ESG evidence, lifecycle boundaries and sustainability claims are examined before SPD outputs are finalized.

SPD-300 supports the verification philosophy established in SPD-100: verification does not mean that a product is automatically green, fully sustainable, environmentally superior, carbon neutral or accepted by all procurement systems. Instead, it confirms that the SPD declaration has been reviewed within a defined scope and according to the applicable SPD requirements. Its role is to provide confidence that the declared information is evidence-based, technically consistent, transparently limited and responsibly communicated.

The protocol covers key verification areas such as reviewer independence and impartiality, conflict-of-interest control, evidence review, technical consistency review, data source review, lifecycle boundary review, ESG boundary review, claim review, nonconformity identification and corrective action. It also defines how reviewers should evaluate whether information is relevant, reliable, complete, current, traceable and consistent with the declared product and assessment scope.

A central function of SPD-300 is to prevent greenwashing. By reviewing the relationship between evidence, methodology, indicators and communication wording, the protocol helps ensure that SPD certificates, technical reports, public summaries, registry pages and QR-linked information do not create unsupported claims. This includes avoiding broad claims such as “green product,” “fully sustainable,” “carbon neutral,” “zero impact,” or “accepted by all green building systems” unless such claims are separately assessed and justified.

SPD-300 also defines the logic for the Verification Statement, which records the review scope, evidence basis, criteria applied, findings, limitations and verification conclusion. This statement helps users understand what was reviewed, what was not reviewed, what limitations apply and what the verification result actually means.

The protocol works together with other SPD system documents. SPD-200 provides the assessment methodology, SPD-400 defines reporting and disclosure rules, SPD-500 defines ESG evidence expectations, SPD-600 links verification status to certification and registry rules, and SPD-PCG documents provide product category-specific requirements.

Overall, SPD-300 provides the assurance backbone of the Sustainable Product Declaration system. Its value lies in transforming SPD from a simple product disclosure into a reviewed, evidence-based and traceable transparency output. It protects the credibility of the SPD framework by ensuring that product sustainability information is technically coherent, supported by evidence, reviewed with impartiality and communicated within clear boundaries.
The full SPD-300 Guideline is available for download exclusively by United Metric members.