NPA npainfo.org

Certification Type: Natural

NPA requires a minimum of 95 percent natural origin for the “Natural” standard. Limited amounts of synthetics are allowed. It does not have a standard for organic certification.

Country of Origin: USA

Business Type: Non-Profit. Membership required.

NATRUE natrue.org

Certification Type: Natural, Organic, and Natural with organic portion

NATRUE is a cosmetic standard that requires 100 percent certified pure natural and derived natural (natural origin) ingredients. “Organic cosmetics” guarantees at least 95 percent of the natural ingredients stem from controlled organic production. “Natural with organic portion” guarantees at least 70 percent of the natural ingredients stem from organic production. It excludes water and salt in calculation of natural and organic content. NATRUE has an equivalency agreement / recognition with NSF/ANSI 305.

Country of Origin: Belgium

Business Type: Non-Profit

SOIL ASSOCIATION soilassociation.org

Certification Type: Organic, and made with Organic ingredients

Soil Association is a standard for organic and made-with-organic ingredients. “Organic” must contain at least 95 percent organically produced ingredients. “Made with Organic Ingredients” must contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients. Limited amounts of synthetic preservatives and ingredients are allowed. It excludes water in calculation of organic content.

Country of Origin: UK

Business Type: Non-Profit

NSF/ANSI 305 nsf.org, ansi.org, qai-inc.com

Certification Type: Contains Organic

NSF ANSI 305 standard requires 70 percent organic ingredients to comply with the “contains organic” standard. Limited amounts of synthetics are allowed. It excludes water and salt in calculation of organic content.

Country of Origin: USA

Business Type: Non-Profit

ECOCERT ecocert.com

Certification Type: Natural and Natural/ Organic

EcoCert requires a minimum of 95 percent natural origin as a baseline entry and a minimum of five percent organic content for the “Natural” standard, and a minimum of 10 percent organic content for the “Natural / Organic” standard. Up to five percent of ingredients can be synthetic. Limited synthetic preservatives are allowed. Water can be included in its calculation of organic content.

Country of Origin: France

Business Type: For-Profit

USDA NOP ams.usda.gov

Certification Type: 100 percent Organic, Organic, and Made with Organic

USDA NOP is a food standard for organic and made with organic ingredients. “100 percent organic” must contain only organically produced ingredients. “Organic” must contain at least 95 percent organically produced ingredients. “Made with Organic Ingredients” must contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients. Limited amounts of synthetics are allowed in the “Organic” and “Made with Organic” standard. It excludes water and salt in calculation of organic content.

Country of Origin: USA

Business Type: Government

COSMOS cosmos-standard.org

Certification Type: Organic and Natural

COSMOS is a cosmetic standard for organic and natural ingredients. “Organic” must contain at least 95 percent organically produced ingredients. “Natural” may contain natural/ organic ingredients, but does not allow active marketing of organic content. Limited synthetics are allowed in the “Organic” and “Natural” standard for some product types. Excludes minerals in calculation of organic content.

Country of Origin: Brussels

Business Type: Non-Profit

BDIH bdih.org

Certification Type: Natural

BDIH requires 100 percent natural origin/nature identical* to gain the “natural” standard. It does not have a standard for organic certification.

Country of Origin: Germany

Business Type: For-Profit. Membership req.

In addition to these longer established certification organizations, two newer ones – Demeter and Oregon Tilth – are noteworthy.

DEMETER USA demeter-usa.org

Certification Type: Biodynamic

Demeter Association, Inc. is the United States’ representative of Demeter International whose mission is to enable people to farm successfully in accordance with Biodynamic® practices and principles. The Demeter Biodynamic® Farm Standard reflects the Biodynamic principle of the farm as a living organism: self-contained, self-sustaining, following the cycles of nature. In order for a farm to refer to itself as Biodynamic, it must have achieved certification through Demeter by adhering to the Demeter Farm Standard for a minimum of three years if conventionally farmed, or a minimum of one year if organically farmed. The entire farm must be certified, not just a portion of land within the farm. Demeter provides the legal definition of BIODYNAMIC in the U.S. marketplace. In order for a commercial farm or agricultural-based product to legally use the term in reference to its farm or products, it must have obtained certification through Demeter, and be re-certified every year.

Country of Origin: Germany

Business Type: Not-for-Profit

OREGON TILTH tilth.org

Certification Type: Organic

Oregon Tilth exists to support and promote biologically sound and socially equitable agriculture through education, research, advocacy, and certification. It advocates sustainable approaches to agricultural production systems and processing, handling and marketing. Oregon Tilth’s purpose is to educate gardeners, farmers, legislators, and the general public about the need to develop and use sustainable growing practices that promote soil health, conserve natural resources, and prevent environmental degradation while producing a clean and healthful food supply for humanity. Oregon Tilth Certified Organic (OTCO) is an internationally recognized symbol of organic integrity. OTCO provides a system that combines strict production standards, on-site inspections, and legally binding contracts to protect the producers and buyers of organic products. It is now accredited to offer the NSF 305 standard for personalcare products containing organic ingredients.

Country of Origin: USA

Business Type: Non-profit

MARK WUTTKE heads Wuttke Group, a business development consultancy for natural, organic and sustainable spas and boutiques in the luxury market. He works with LOHAS, Green Spa Network and the Natural Beauty Summit in the United States and Europe.

This column is about leadership. Why is it a good idea to adopt a personal manifesto of conscious leadership? It is the best way to stay true to yourself and live your life’s values on a daily basis. From a practical standpoint, it’s also a convenient and efficient way to operate.

Adopting a thoughtful and strategic manifesto gives you the courage to look in the mirror knowing that you’ll feel good about who is looking back. Getting to that point starts with a commitment to really know oneself, identify personal values and use that knowledge as a roadmap for making decisions along life’s way. It takes time, but it provides the basis for moving forward as a model of conscious leadership. And it’s never too late.

Getting to know yourself and tapping into your passions, strengths, gifts and purpose is worth the investment. It can make the difference between feeling like a cork bobbing on the sea and navigating life’s waves knowing you’ll right yourself again no matter how rough those waters may be.

The better I know myself, the truer my intentions and actions are, and the greater is my success. Over time, living this way is actually easier. When you adopt a manifesto of conscious leadership, you react to life’s challenges by naturally testing them against it. No angst, hand-wringing, or migraines while you grapple with an uncomfortable issue. You can move forward proactively toward goals that align with your values.

Here are a few benchmarks to consider.

· Can you think, feel and act as one, free of disharmony or incongruence? If so, you can practice conscious leadership, reacting to daily demands with integrity. When our thoughts, feelings and actions are out of alignment, we forfeit conscious leadership.

· Thinking, feeling and acting as one is easier to say than do. Why? Because we need to summon the courage of our convictions. Conscious leaders are willing to pay the price of being disliked for who they are rather than succumbing to the desire to be liked.

· If you ask the right questions and give honest answers to the person in the mirror, you will be true to yourself, paving the way toward conscious leadership, a more fulfilling and comfortable way to live.

MARK WUTTKE heads Wuttke Group, a business development consultancy specializing in natural, organic and sustainable spa and boutique retail with an emphasis on the luxury market. He works closely with LOHAS, Green Spa Network and Natural Beauty Summit in the United States and Europe. 

Spring, the season of renewal, is an ideal time to evaluate your personal commitment to conscious leadership—of self, of community and of the planet. With this new column, I will illuminate leadership as an antidote to the many challenges we face (and sometimes create for ourselves and our world).

Trend-spotter Faith Popcorn, who delivered a bellweather for our recession-battered society during the 2011 International Spa Association conference, said a culture focused on reinvention and renewal, inspiration and elevation, connection and nurturance, and transparency and honesty is emerging. Society is mandating substance over superficiality, and the notion of “self” is inextricably woven into the context of community. Well being is an “interconnected web” that encompasses friends, family, community and the planet. “We can’t be well,” she said, “if our universe is ailing.”

Popcorn’s message resonates with me as a human, husband, father, business owner and world citizen. I am especially impressed with her conviction that leadership and action are the keys to improving ourselves, solving society’s ills and saving the planet.

We can address a range of topics through the filters of leadership and action. We can examine the leadership required to convey “true truths” as opposed to “false truths” about natural, organic and sustainable products, practices, philosophies and lifestyles. Among the questions to be answered:

•Why do we need a personal manifesto of “conscious leadership?”
•What is authentic, healthy wellness?
•How do we spot “wellness-washing”?
•What is authentic green? How is this definition evolving?
•How can a commitment to transparent leadership eradicate “false truths” motivated by profit rather than honesty?
•What is the most direct path to regenerative sustainability?

I look forward to addressing these and other topics in future issues. I welcome your comments and suggestions.

MARK WUTTKE heads Wuttke Group, a business development consultancy for natural, organic and sustainable spas and boutiques in the luxury market. He works with LOHAS, Green Spa Network and the Natural Beauty Summit in the United States and Europe.

Over the next five issues, I aim to demystify the language and put into plain and simple terms the steps one needs to evaluate the authenticity of a brand. Let’s begin with this brief overview.

Is it What it Says it Is?

Certification provides a common language to the industry and consumers, ensuring we agree upon and honestly communicate minimum standards and requirements for the products we use. Not all certifications are made equal, and having a basic understanding of the common ones goes a long way to knowing what you’re getting.

Is it Safe?

Products that we physically come into contact with or ingest have both short and long-term effects on our well-being. There are benefits and risks to any product whether it is natural or chemical-based. I’ll break down the main things to look for and stay away from, and explain some of the trade-offs between health risks, environmental risks, and costs.

Is it Effective?

How do conventional and natural products work, and what are the active ingredients that yield the results claimed on the bottle? Evidence-based clinical trials provide the benchmark by which the effectiveness of products are measured. While conventional products have utilized clinical tests as the basis for their claims for decades, organic and natural products are now gaining enough consumer support to justify the investment into clinical results to prove their efficacy.

Is it Responsible?

How are products created and what are the human eco-systems that support the production of them? Companies are in the business of making money, but the organic movement has raised the bar for the way companies treat their partners. From the farmers who cultivate the ingredients, to the packages that deliver them, every choice a company makes can have as much impact on whether consumers choose to use their product as the product itself.

Is it Sustainable?

Companies also need to consider how to minimize their impact on the environmental resources from which they harvest their products. For decades chemical and petroleum-based methods were utilized to meet continuing demand. What are the ways in which companies can build a regenerative process to ensure that the products we create are not only safe, effective, and responsible, but in the long-run, sustainable?

As evidenced by the success of the green movement, consumers have tremendous power to change markets for the better. Acquiring a basic understanding about what you are buying not only ensures that you actually get what you pay for, it also sends a message to the companies that transparency and honesty are an essential part of doing business.

As the demand for natural and organic products grew, so did the number of brands, manufacturers, and suppliers, which led to an increasingly complex, less accountable marketplace. Today, ingredients are sourced from multiple manufacturers, in multiple countries with multiple standards, making a third party regulatory standard body essential. Third-party certification standards level the playing field by ensuring products are what they say they are, and that the language communicating claims is clear, consistent, and correct.

Certification standards are a way to cut through the vague terminology open to marketing spin and equivocation. Without standards, it’s easy to misrepresent the facts. Imagine purchasing a Toyota Prius, only to wonder if it’s actually a hybrid. Imagine purchasing an expensive diamond and later discovering it’s cubic zirconium. To ensure that doesn’t happen, the GIA certifies diamonds’ origins, and the certification allows consumers to buy with confidence by bringing expert oversight to the market.

It’s clear how certification benefits consumers, but it’s equally important to manufacturers and retailers. If consumers can’t buy with confidence, they’ll choose to shop elsewhere or align themselves with a different brand. Certification provides the transparency and trust the consumer needs to make the purchase. For example, Natrue Certification standard provides complete transparency by allowing consumers to search the individual products they have certified online. www.natrue-label.com

Major Certification Organizations and their Standards

There are seven major international organizations with certification standards. It’s important to understand where each one is located and what their standards represent, as they all have different standards with different requirements. A solid understanding of each one makes consumer choices easier.

USDA NOP

www.ams.usda.gov Certification Type: 100% Organic, Organic, and Made with Organic

USDA NOP is a food standard for organic and made with organic ingredients. “100 percent organic” must contain only organically produced ingredients. “Organic” must contain at least 95 percent organically produced ingredients. “Made with Organic Ingredients” must contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients. Limited amounts of synthetics are allowed in the “Organic” and “Made with Organic” standard. Excludes water and salt in calculation of organic content. Country of Origin: USA Business Type: Government

NATRUE

www.natrue.org Certification Type: Natural, Organic, and Natural with organic portion

NATRUE is a cosmetic standard that requires 100 percent certified pure natural and derived natural (natural origin) ingredients. “Organic cosmetics” guarantees at least 95 percent of the natural ingredients stem from controlled organic production. “Natural with organic portion” guarantees at least 70 percent of the natural ingredients stem from organic production. Excludes water and salt in calculation of natural and organic content. NATRUE has an equivalency agreement / recognition with NSF/ANSI 305. Country of Origin: Brussels, International Business Type: Non-Profit

NSF/ANSI 305

www.nsf.org, www.ansi.org, www.qai-inc.com Certification Type: Contains Organic

NSF ANSI 305 standard requires 70 percent organic ingredients to comply with the “contains organic” standard. Limited amounts of synthetics are allowed. Excludes water and salt in calculation of organic content. Country of Origin: USA, International Business Type: Non-Profit

Soil Association

www.soilassociation.org Certification Type: Organic, and made with Organic ingredients

Soil Association is a standard for organic and made with organic ingredients. “Organic” must contain at least 95 percent organically produced ingredients. “Made with Organic Ingredients” must contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients. Limited amounts of synthetic preservatives and ingredients are allowed. Excludes water in calculation of organic content. Country of Origin: UK Business Type: Non-Profit

EcoCert

www.ecocert.com Certification Type: Natural and Natural/ Organic

EcoCert requires a minimum of 95 percent natural origin as a baseline entry and a minimum of 5 percent organic content for the “Natural” standard, and a minimum of 10 percent organic content for the “Natural / Organic” standard. Up to 5 percent of ingredients can be synthetic. Limited synthetic preservatives are allowed. Water can be included in its calculation of organic content. Country of Origin: France Business Type: Profit

BDIH

www.bdih.org Certification Type: Natural

BDIH requires 100 percent natural origin/ nature identical* to gain the “natural” standard. Does not have a standard for organic certification. Country of Origin: Germany Business Type: Profit. Membership required.

NPA

www.npainfo.org Certification Type: Natural

NPA requires a minimum of 95 percent natural origin for the “Natural” standard. Limited amounts of synthetics are allowed. Does not have a standard for organic certification. Country of Origin: USA Business Type: Non-Profit. Membership required.

*Nature identical ingredients are those that are 100 percent identical in composition to their counterparts in nature, but are created in the laboratory to ensure stability, safety, and sustainability. Nature-identical substances may only be used when natural substances cannot be recovered from nature using reasonable technical effort.

The Future of Certification Standards

Consumers are placing more pressure on companies to raise the bar. They’re demanding that natural and organic claims be supported by the brand’s willingness to exhibit the transparency and traceability that certification standards offer. But certification is only a means to an end. The ultimate goal is a market where honesty, traceability, and transparency is expected of the producers of the products we put on our skin, our bodies, and of course into the environment as well.

While there are certainly skin-care companies that genuinely care about sustainability and the effect they have on the environment and people’s health, many others are simply chasing the trend, and in their case the cart is clearly leading the horse. This can be seen in their “outside-in” approach to sustainability. In other words, the most immediate changes we have seen have been external to the actual product: recyclable and biodegradable packaging, non-virgin shipping materials, charitable donations, forestry stewardship programs. And while any step toward a safer, greener future is a positive one, the real change needs to happen in the bottle, by fundamentally changing the way products are formulated and how the raw ingredients are grown. Bottom line, a product cannot merely be “green by association.” True sustainability happens on the farm.

When we think “farm,” many of us imagine an idyllic landscape akin to the farms of author E.B. White’s classic tale Charlotte’s Web. Rolling hills changing with the seasons under the care of capable, intuitive hands that not only work upon the land but with the land to produce the bounty of the earth. Of course, the reality of modern agriculture more resembles a factory—mechanical, chemical, and cash-oriented. The benefits of industrial farming have been tremendous:

• Massive crop yields

• Genetically modified pest-resistant plants

• Highly effective pesticides

• Tremendous flexibility of growing regions

• Ability to grow the same crops continually without letting the earth “fallow”

The cons, unfortunately, are far greater, and essentially all come down to the use (or lack of use) of chemicals to enhance growth. After all, even products that are plant-based often require chemicals to produce. Some of the many negatives to conventional growing include:

• The petro-chemical-based fertilizers, pesticides, and other inputs are in finite supply.

• They damage ecosystems even as they boost them.

• Industrial farming displaces the farming communities that are rooted in traditional farming and their expertise is lost.

• Waste runoff from agriculture is the single largest source of water pollutants.

• Overuse of irrigation causes water scarcity, an increasingly alarming global issue.

When faced with a choice between long-term and short-term goals, most people and companies will make the expedient choice. However, as public awareness and interest in the social and health benefits of organic products has skyrocketed, we’ve shifted toward an economic environment that encourages the use of better methods of production, including:

• Sustain the economic viability of farming communities and enhance quality of life.

• Enhance environmental quality through long-term nurturing of the land rather than short-term exploitation.

• Maximize plant efficacy and crop yields through a better understanding of ideal growing regions and conditions.

• Find natural ways to address fertilization and pest-control.

• Utilize scientific advances and studies to partner with the earth and its farming communities rather than pushing them beyond their sustainable capacity.

The great news is that we have already done ourselves a tremendous service as a culture by voting for organic and natural products with our dollars. But if we are to succeed at reversing the trend of unsustainable farming, we will only do so by continually demanding that companies raise their standards, and by choosing their products when they do. We also need to apply these same standards to the entire life cycle of the product, from production to packaging to delivery to consumer to recycling. Because when we choose to invest in truly sustainable products, we invest in a truly sustainable future.