Definition: The material or ingredients in this collection are at least 80% derived from organic farming.
What qualifies for this guarantee?
This guarantee is awarded to brands that can demonstrate that 80% or more of the entire collection is made from organic materials/ ingredients*.
*For beauty brands we stipulate that all ingredients which can be sourced from organic origin must be organic to qualify rather than a specific %.
What supporting evidence do I need?
- For textiles: full % of the fibre composition of each product is listed on the care & information section on your product descriptions.
- For beauty: A full ingredients list is needed with the % of natural and organic ingredients and whether these are certified.
- A third-party certification proving the organic origin of the materials or ingredients used in your products.
Certifications (Textiles)
Some accepted are listed below:
- GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) GOT certification ensures strict environmental and social criteria are met throughout the supply chain; it is the best way of guaranteeing a garment is organic from field to finished product. This is important as the dyeing and processing of conventional cotton, for instance, is one of the most pollutive stages, but as this is further down the supply chain it is sometimes not taken into consideration.
- OCS (Organic Content Standard) The Organic Content Standard confirms your garment contains organically grown fibres. It does not address the use of chemicals in production nor any social or environmental aspects in these stages; it only covers the traceability of the organic material itself.
- Regenerative Organic Certification This is the gold standard when it comes to organic certifications; it takes into account animal welfare, worker rights, and responsible land management through regenerative farming.
* We may accept other certifications if deemed appropriate
Certifications (Beauty)
Some accepted are listed below:
- USDA: Certified ingredients are at least 95% organic. This certification still allows for some synthetic pesticides but these must come from an approved list.
- ECOCERT: Only 10% must be organic and 95% must be of natural origin
- COSMOS: 20% of ingredients must be organic and 95% must be of natural origin
Why is this important?
Organic farming is considered a more sustainable method for many reasons. For example, organic cotton is beneficial for biodiversity, emits 46% fewer greenhouse gases than conventional cotton*, and uses less water (although statistics vary on exactly how much). Additionally, organic cotton avoids using pesticides and insecticides that are toxic to people and the environment.
It is worth noting that cotton (whether conventional or organic) is a crop which requires a large amount of water, so whilst organic does use less water it still uses a high quantity compared to other natural fibres such as linen. Another disadvantage to organic cotton is that it is more expensive, but this is its ‘true cost’ to ensure social and environmental prosperity. Lastly, organic cotton has lower yields compared to conventional cotton, which means it would not be practically viable to convert all cotton production to organic. This is why tackling overconsumption and creating robust and extensive recycling systems is essential, and why opting for recycled cotton is a far superior choice to virgin fibres (whether organic or not).
*Source: https://www.soilassociation.org/media/11662/coolcotton.pdf