Human-Gated Publishing ArchitectureZero Autonomous AI Publishing
Editorial Quality, Fact-Checking & Commercial Independence Policy
Corporate sustainability and greenhouse gas accounting decisions carry regulatory, financial, and assurance consequences. GetSustainable.ai enforces programmatic state-machine gates so that no unverified draft, silent factor approximation, or undisclosed commercial promotion is ever published.
1. The 6-Stage Editorial Verification State Machine
DRAFT → RESEARCHED → FACT_CHECKED → APPROVED → PUBLISHED → REVIEW_DUE| Stage | Editorial State | Search Indexing | Authorized Roles | Allowed Next States | Programmatic Gate & Audit Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | DRAFT | BLOCKED (noindex / 404) | ANALYST, MANAGING_EDITOR, SUPER_ADMIN | RESEARCHED | Initial research outline. Strictly blocked from public routes, sitemap.xml, and search indexing (noindex, nofollow). |
| 02 | RESEARCHED | BLOCKED (noindex / 404) | ANALYST, MANAGING_EDITOR, SUPER_ADMIN | FACT_CHECKED, DRAFT | Requires at least 1 primary authoritative source citation (WRI/WBCSD, IFRS ISSB, DESNZ, US EPA, MoCCAE/DEWA) attached in article_sources. |
| 03 | FACT_CHECKED | BLOCKED (noindex / 404) | FACT_CHECKER, MANAGING_EDITOR, SUPER_ADMIN | APPROVED, RESEARCHED | Strict separation of duties: the original author cannot fact-check their own submission. Verifies every numerical factor, statutory reference, and boundary claim. |
| 04 | APPROVED | BLOCKED (noindex / 404) | MANAGING_EDITOR, SUPER_ADMIN | PUBLISHED, FACT_CHECKED | Requires both verified primary citations and independent reviewer attribution before final editorial clearance. |
| 05 | PUBLISHED | INDEXABLE (index, follow) | MANAGING_EDITOR, SUPER_ADMIN | REVIEW_DUE, RESEARCHED | Requires materialUpdatedAt and reviewDueAt (90-day review cycle) timestamps. Exposed in public hub, sitemap.xml, and Article JSON-LD. |
| 06 | REVIEW_DUE | BLOCKED (noindex / 404) | FACT_CHECKER, MANAGING_EDITOR, SUPER_ADMIN | RESEARCHED, FACT_CHECKED | Triggered when regulatory standards or annual conversion factors update, requiring re-verification against current primary schedules. |
2. Role-Based Separation of Duties
Our administrative workflow enforces strict role boundaries across ANALYST, FACT_CHECKER, MANAGING_EDITOR, and SUPER_ADMIN accounts:
- No Self-Fact-Checking: An analyst who authors a research draft cannot transition that same article to
FACT_CHECKED. Attempting to do so triggers a programmaticSEPARATION_OF_DUTIES_VIOLATION. - Mandatory Primary Source Verification: Every regulatory or methodological guide must cite primary statutory or standard-setter documents (e.g., WRI/WBCSD GHG Protocol, IFRS S1 & S2, EU ESRS E1, UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 11 of 2024).
- Immutable Revision & Audit Trail: Every state transition creates a versioned
article_revisionssnapshot and an append-onlyaudit_eventsrecord with actor attribution.
3. Commercial Independence & Anti-Greenwashing Standards
In our Sustainability Software Directory and procurement guides, we prohibit pay-to-play rankings and unverified claims:
- Zero Fabricated Ratings or Reviews: We never invent star ratings, user review counts, customer logos, or unpublished pricing tiers. When a vendor does not publicly disclose pricing, we state that explicitly.
- Explicit Commercial Relationship Disclosure: Every vendor profile displays a prominent
commercialRelationshipbadge (NONE,SPONSORED_LISTING,REFERRAL_PARTNER) and full disclosure text. - Anti-Greenwashing Boundary Labelling: Our GHG calculator and guides explicitly label screening outputs as partial-scope estimates and never equate screening calculations with verified carbon neutrality or Net Zero certification.