Category rating — not an assessment of any specific brand
This rating covers a typical, mass-market
small appliances product based on publicly available data.
It does not name or assess any specific manufacturer or product.
Individual products may perform better or worse.
Learn about verified ratings →
Category baseline
3.0 HIP
Below Standard
Category ceiling: 7.3 HIP
Regenerative Index
-7.0
Depleting
Category ceiling RI: -2.0
What this score means
The score shown is the current market baseline for small appliances — what the HIP methodology can confirm from
publicly available specification data alone, before any manufacturer evidence is reviewed. The category ceiling
shown in small text below the score is what the methodology rewards when materials, supply chain, repairability,
and end-of-life pathways are fully evidenced. Manufacturers close that gap by applying for verified assessment.
Manufacturer? Verified assessment closes the gap.
The current market baseline for this category is 3.0 HIP.
The category ceiling — what the methodology rewards when materials, supply chain, repairability, and end-of-life
pathways are fully evidenced — is 7.3 HIP.
The first verified product in our programme demonstrated 6.9 HIP and earned the HIP Mark.
If your product can evidence the methodology dimensions, verified assessment gives it the score it has earned.
Apply for verified assessment
Score Breakdown
Material Scarcity Index
20% weight
3.5
The product contains nichrome and copper, which are classified as critical or high-supply-risk materials by the EU and USGS, driving the scarcity score despite the use of abundant steel and ABS plastic. The absence of submitted recycled content data and extraction country details necessitates a conservative penalty, resulting in a 'Scarce' rating.
Supply Chain Risk
18% weight
3.5
The toaster relies on copper and steel, which are sourced primarily from China (approx. 60% of global supply), creating significant concentration risk. With no submitted due diligence standards, alternative suppliers, or audit verification, the supply chain lacks resilience against geopolitical disruptions.
Recyclability & Circularity
18% weight
3.0
This toaster is scored as poorly recyclable (3.0) because it is assumed to be glued, preventing practical disassembly, and only metal components are considered practically recoverable in standard recycling streams. The absence of a take-back scheme, recycling labels, or design for disassembly confirms it falls into the mass-market small appliance baseline where plastics and heating elements are typically landfilled.
Repairability
13% weight
2.0
The toaster is assumed to be glued shut with no spare parts available and no public service manual, classifying it as unrepairable. This aligns with typical sealed mass-market small appliances designed for replacement rather than repair.
Social & Environmental Impact
8% weight
3.5
The product is manufactured in China, a moderate-to-high risk jurisdiction, with no submitted third-party audits or environmental certifications. While ILO compliance is not claimed, the absence of verified evidence such as an RBA audit or ISO 14001 certification limits the score to the elevated risk baseline.
Product Longevity
8% weight
5.0
The toaster receives a score of 5.0 based on a 2-year warranty and a stated design life of 6 years, which aligns with the 'Average Lifespan' criteria for mass-market small appliances. While the product lacks an IP rating or modular design, the explicit 6-year design life exceeds the typical 3-5 year baseline for this category, pushing it above the 'Below Average' band.
Regenerative Index
15% weight · scale −10 to +10
-7.0
The toaster is scored as Depleting (-7) because it relies on virgin mined materials with zero recycled content and no take-back scheme, fitting the criteria for conventional manufactured goods. It does not qualify for the Extractive band minimum of -3 because the required 50% recycled content and verified take-back are absent. Consequently, the product actively depletes finite geological reserves with no credible pathway toward regeneration.
MSI 20% · SCR 18% · RC 18% · R 13% · SEI 8% · PL 8% · RI 15% = 100%
About the HIP Methodology ▸
Generic ratings are intentionally conservative. They represent only what the HIP methodology can confirm from
publicly available specification data, before any manufacturer-supplied evidence is reviewed. Most categories sit
in the 2–4 range at the pre-verification baseline. This is the methodology working as designed: it makes the gap
between current market practice and demonstrable resilience legible to consumers, manufacturers, and procurement
buyers. Verified assessment is the path across that gap, and the HIP Mark is the proof of crossing it.
Read the full methodology →
Consumer Summary
This toaster has an overall HIP Score of 3.0 out of 10, indicating significant challenges in its environmental design. Its Regenerative Index is -7.0, which means the product relies heavily on new raw materials rather than recycled ones and is difficult to repair or recycle at the end of its life.
What This Means For You
When shopping for small appliances like toasters, look for models that are designed to be easily taken apart for repair and built with recycled materials. Avoid products that are glued shut or lack available spare parts, as these are likely to end up in landfills sooner than necessary.
Data Transparency
This is a category rating based on publicly available data. The following data fields were not submitted by a manufacturer and have been estimated conservatively using open reference data and LLM training knowledge:
material_percentagesrecycled_content_pctcountry_of_primary_extractionprimary_sourcing_countriestier1_supplier_countdue_diligence_standardalternative_supplier_existsdisassembly_typerecyclable_streams_pctrecycling_label_complianttakeback_schemedesign_for_disassemblyfastener_typespare_parts_availablespare_parts_years_committedservice_manual_publicifixit_scoreecodesign_in_scopemanufacturing_countriesenvironmental_certificationsthird_party_certificationrba_audit_completedmodern_slavery_statementilo_compliance_claimedip_ratingmodular_designsoftware_support_yearsprimary_material_origintakeback_schemeregenerative_certificationsclosed_loop_programmeend_of_life_programmematerial_origin_certifiedregenerative_practicesthird_party_certification
A verified rating uses manufacturer-submitted data and produces a more accurate, product-specific score.
Material Watch Points
- Nichrome — EU Critical Raw Materials list
- Copper — USGS High Supply Risk
- Recycled content assumed at 0% due to missing data
- Copper and steel concentration risk (China >60% global supply)
- No due-diligence programme documented
- No alternative supplier documented
- Single tier-1 supplier dependency
About This Rating
Produced under Resourcehip Methodology v1.3 (CC BY-NC 4.0). Assessed: 2026-04-18. Next scheduled review: 2027-04-18.
Dispute this rating · Our methodology · All ratings
Data Sources
This rating draws on the following public sources:
USGS Mineral Resources Program (public domain) · EU Critical Raw Materials List 2023 (CC BY 4.0) · World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · LLM training knowledge (for assumed fields — no manufacturer submission)
All sources are public domain or published under open data licences.
Full source list →
About this rating:
HIP scores are based on publicly available data at the assessment date.
They are estimates of material resilience — not guarantees of product performance, safety, or future supply conditions.
Resourcehip accepts no liability for decisions made in reliance on these ratings.
Scope:
This is a category rating for Toasters and does not assess any specific brand or manufacturer.
Individual products may perform better or worse than this baseline.
Produced under Resourcehip Scoring Methodology 1.3.
AI disclosure:
This rating was produced using an AI scoring pipeline (local, no cloud — no data shared externally) and reviewed and approved by a human assessor before publication.
Scoring model: qwen3.5:35b.
The model's training data influences the findings — see the methodology for caveats.
AI transparency notice →
Not financial or investment advice.
Ratings are for consumer information only.
Dispute this rating · Our methodology · All ratings
Assessed: 2026-04-18 · Next review: 2027-04-18 · Methodology 1.3
