Retailers, Are You Ready to Come Clean?

Take a stand against organic fraud by adopting an Organic Cosmetics Integrity Policy like Whole Foods Market did in June 2010.

Please use the form below to submit your Organic Cosmetics Integrity Policy to the Organic Consumers Association.

The template below is based on Whole Foods Market's policy. Please feel free to edit this or create your own.

Subject:

Your Letter:

We believe that the "organic" claim used on personal care products should have a very similar meaning to the "organic" claim used on food products, which is currently regulated by the USDA's National Organic Program. Our shoppers do not expect the definition of "organic" to change substantially between the food and the non-food aisles of our stores. Accordingly, the following requirements apply to all personal care products which use the word "organic" in any way on the product label.

Scope: This policy applies to all cosmetic and personal care products sold at [Insert Store Name Here].

Timeline: We expect all products sold in our stores to be in full compliance by [Insert Date Here]. We expect each of our suppliers who are making an "organic" claim to submit their plans for compliance to us by [Insert Date Here].

Please Note: Products for which "organic" is included as part of the brand name must be certified to the USDA NOP or NSF 305 standards.

Requirements & Examples:

1: Products making an "Organic" product claim

Examples: "Organic Jojoba Shampoo," "Organic Sea Mineral Body Wash"

Certification requirement: Must be certified to the USDA's National Organic Program standard for organic (>95%) products.

Documentation required: Suppliers must present an organic certificate, issued by a USDA-accredited certifier and showing certification to the NOP standard. The certificate must name the specific products being evaluated.

2: Products making a "Made with Organic ________" claim

Examples: "Made with organic oils," "Made with organic essential oils and botanical ingredients."

Certification requirement: Must be certified to the USDA's National Organic Program standard for Made With Organic (>70%) products.

3: Products making a "Contains Organic _______" claim

Examples: "Contains organic oils," "Contains organic aloe and rosemary."

Certification requirement: Must be certified to the NSF/ANSI 305 Organic Personal Care Standard.

Documentation required: Suppliers must present certification documentation demonstrating current compliance with the NSF/ANSI 305 standard.

4: Products listing an organic ingredient in the "Ingredients:" listing

Example: "Ingredients: WATER, ALOE BARBADENSIS LEAF JUICE (ORGANIC ALOE VERA)...,"

Certification requirement: Organic ingredient must be certified to the USDA NOP standard.

As noted above, we expect all products sold in our stores to be compliant with these guidelines by [Insert Date Here].

Alexis Baden-Mayer

Organic Consumers Association

Organic Consumers Association - 6771 South Silver Hill Drive, Finland MN 55603
E-mail: Staff | Activist or Media Inquiries: 218-226-4164 | Fax: 218-353-7652
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