Assessing the sustainability of a product requires observing multiple steps. A recycled material provides useful information, but does not describe the production, transport, maintenance and management of the good when it is no longer used.
The European Textile Strategy considers the entire life cycle and recalls durability, reparability and recyclability. This is a public policy reference; individual obligations applicable to products require a separate examination of the relevant provisions.
Practically speaking, durability depends on both the characteristics of the product and its use. A durable garment that remains unused responds to a different problem than a garment often worn and repaired. To compare alternatives it is necessary to clarify what function they must perform and for how long.
Useful information may relate to maintenance, availability of repairs, composition and the possibility of separating materials. Even after-sale service can help keep the good usable. None of these features allows, in isolation, to declare one product overall better than another.
I propose a communication centered on demonstrable qualities: what has been improved, how it has been measured and what aspects remain open. Adequate data and method are needed for comparative environmental claims. Explaining a precisely circumscribed result gives the consumer more useful information than a generic promise of sustainability.