Nourished Life is proud to stock products certified by the following bodies. Here is a summary of what each of them mean.
COSMEBIO
Cosmebio is a certification body created in France in 2002. Their stamp guarantees the product is made up and created using only naturally-derived ingredients. The customers should be provided with clear information about the ingredients.
Cosmebio encourages and supports manufacturers in their quest to become a natural certified product and raises awareness about natural ingredients.
In order for a product to be certified by Cosmebio they need to meet strict guidelines that state that at least 95% of the ingredients need to be natural or derived from natural sources, at least 95% of plant ingredients must be produced by organic farming. Finally, 10% of products must be organic plant ingredients. It is also important to note that cosmetics often contain 50-80% water, which cannot be certified as organic.
1% FOR THE PLANET
Beginning in 2002, 1% for the Planet has encouraged businesses to contribute 1% of their sales to environmental groups around the world. Their mission is ’to build and support an alliance of businesses financially committed to creating a healthy planet."
With over 1,300 businesses around the world pledging 1% of their annual sales to 1% for the Planet they have been successful in creating healthier oceans, rivers, lakes, mountains, forests, deserts and lowlands. Being a member of this wonderful organisation also allows businesses to connect with other like-minded businesses around the world to share ideas and work together to combat environmental issues.
AUSTRALIAN CERTIFIED ORGANIC
Australian Certified Organic (ACO) believe organic processes to be healthier for the environment as they keep harmful chemicals out of our land, water and air. In 2010 they were awarded the Best Food Endorsement Program by the Choice Awards.
ACO requires companies to meet a very high set of standards before they will be allowed to use their certification on any products, including at least 3 years of organically managed land which is audited frequently. Other standards include strictly no use of GMO’s, artificial pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers. They ensure farmers carefully plan and rotate crops to control pests and diseases and ensure their soil is fertile.
ACO strives to ensure integrity, impartiality and authenticity in trade to protect rights and interests of consumers of organic products.
ORGANIC FOOD CHAIN
The Organic Food Chain Pty Ltd (OFC) is the result of two Australian farming families taking the organic certification process into their own hands in a hope to provide ’commonsense organic certification".
The OFC families continue to work with industries to develop and maintain strict standards in order to facilitate and meet consumers’ expectations of organics.
The OFC works to be a highly accountable organic accreditation organisation.
ECOCERT
Ecocert is an inspection and certification body established in France in 1991 to address the need of developing environmentally friendly agriculture and to then offer recognition to those committed to such environmental agriculture production.
To encourage further responsible practices, Ecocert has expanded to assess natural and organic cosmetics as well as natural cleaning products and natural and organic home perfumes. They only give the Ecocert name to products that meet its high technical criteria.
The inspection and certification body is successfully growing to help consumers feel reassured in their choice of many different products.
BDIH
The BDIH International Organic and Natural Cosmetics seal has been around for 12 years and has certified around 5,000 products. The certification group has become a trusted body in the world of natural and organic cosmetics after being in the industry for so long. Their strict guidelines make it difficult for manufacturers to get the BDIH certification, however, it ensures customers get what they expect.
BDIH is particularly concerned with the environment, animal welfare and species protection. They assess individual ingredients as well as the production line and the way the products are processed.
The BDIH does not allow synthetic dyes, fragrances, silicones, paraffins, petroleum products or ionising rays. In the case of a product containing one of 4 types of natural preservation, the product must state that it is ’Preserved using "¦ (name of preservative)"
NATRUE
The NaTrue label is a guarantee that the product contains natural and organic ingredients and was produced by soft manufacturing processes that are environmentally friendly.
The NaTrue label also assures that no synthetic fragrances and colours, petroleum derived products, silicone oils and derives, genetically modified ingredients, and irradiation of end product or botanical ingredients, have been used in the product.
The product has also not been tested on animals (unless required by law).
NaTrue uses three different types of certification of natural products to make your choice easier when it comes to selecting the right product:
● Natural cosmetics.
● Natural cosmetics with an organic portion (at least 70% of natural ingredients must stem from controlled organic production and/or controlled wild collection),
● Organic cosmetics (at least 95% of natural ingredients must come from controlled organic cultivation and/or controlled wild collection).
SOIL ASSOCIATION
The Soil Association is the UK's largest organic certification body, responsible for certifying 70-80% of all organic products sold in the country. They certify organic food and farming, organic textiles and organic beauty products and have recently begun working alongside Australian Certified Organic. The Soil Association Certification is a not-for-profit business and donates any excess income to raising awareness and developing the organic sector through the Soil Association charity.
The Soil Association organic logo on a product is a customer's guarantee that the produce meets the highest standards of sustainability and quality.
The Soil Association only gives its certification to products that meet it’s high standards. The health and beauty criteria states that every ingredient in a product must be organic, and if it is not organic the manufacturer needs to provide them with evidence that the ingredient cannot be found in an organic form ’ even these ingredients need to be natural and not be tested on animals. The Soil Association issues a company with a certificate on a yearly basis but they also perform random inspections throughout the year to ensure that every development in the creation of a product is meeting their high standards.
The Soil Association logo you have is the old one, products using this logo should not be considered certified. It was changed in 2009 to the new one and both logos were accepted until January 2012.
THE VEGAN SOCIETY
The Vegan Society is an educational charity that promotes and supports the vegan lifestyle.
The Society was formed in 1944 by a group of vegetarians who recognised the ethical compromises of eating eggs and dairy products. It is funded by membership fees, legacies, sale of merchandise, sale of advertising space and income from the trademark registration scheme.
How to tell if an item is Vegan;
The easiest way to tell if a product is free from animal products, and also animal cruelty, ’cruelty free", is to look for the Vegan Societies trademark.
If the product does not display the Vegan Societies logo;
Other possible steps include looking at ingredients, and if this is not entirely clear, contacting the manufacturer.
The Vegan Society’s trademark registration scheme makes the process less hassle and you can be reassured that you are making a positive choice in the purchase of products displaying this trademark.
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