An ingredients list, or list of the material contents of the product, should provide enough information so that the user is informed of the materials that comprise the product and product packaging. In cases where trace amounts of materials may be present and difficult to identify, every effort should be made to identify the ingredient. To provide for such transparency in materials, this information may be listed on the product itself and/or on the product’s packaging.

The list should name all ingredients contained in the final product, but need not provide the chemical formula. In the case of proprietary materials, the material or chemical category may be listed. For example, in the case of a product that contains a proprietary bio-plastic material, it may be listed as ‘polylactic acid,’ which describes the chemical category.

Transparency refers to the goal of honest and open communication and exchange. It supports all pillars of sustainability. For this Criterion, a product ingredients list discloses all material contents, which are now ‘transparent’ to the consumer.

See: http://livingprinciples.aiga.org/resources/words-to-know/