Who issues organic labels?

Awareness of environmental issues and the concept of "better living" is growing in our society. Organic labels have become crucial in consumer and business choices.

These labels and certifications endorse adherence to ecological standards and confirm a product's compliance with strict specifications. They now extend beyond the food sector into areas such as cosmetics and textiles.

The issuance of an organic label involves a rigorous and impartial process by the certifying firm. It is ensured by a certification body like Ecocert. As pioneers in organic certification for over 30 years, we are globally recognized for our enhanced expertise and rigor in the certification process.

Issuance of organic labels: the crucial role of a certification body

The role of a certification body (CB) like Ecocert is to assess the compliance of a product, service, or process. This is based on standards set by public bodies or strict criteria outlined in specifications developed by professional organizations, associations, or private entities.

Using a certification body allows for obtaining a "certified organic" label, as opposed to private labels that are "self-declared," where responsibility lies solely with the entity placing the label on the product.

Proof of the reliability of the mission performed, depending on the labels and countries, we are accredited every year by official public bodies following an annual internal audit. These bodies ensure the competence, impartiality, and compliance of evaluation/certification bodies.

Organic label: strict specifications

To issue an organic label, a certifying body must remain impartial. The issuance of an organic label by an independent certification body like Ecocert attests to a company's commitment, ensures the reliability of the organic label, and maintains consumer trust in it.

At Ecocert, we have an Internal Committee for Evaluation of Services (COMEP) that selects services offered to ensure they align with our positioning.

After market analysis, an expert in a sector can propose adding a service to Ecocert's offering. It is then the COMEP that will approve or reject the proposal.

The validation of a label choice is based on 4 pillars:

• Governance: represents stakeholder involvement in creating or revising the label.

• Level of requirements: determines if basic regulations are applied or if the reference goes beyond, requiring impactful practice changes. It is also necessary to determine who the reference is aimed at to make a genuine change in practices.

• Evaluation process: confirms the relevance and rigor of the evaluation process: the evaluation scope, type, and frequency.

• Communication: approves clear and transparent communication around the label.

In this logic, Ecocert selects and proposes to its clients only labels considered to have a significant impact on the environment and highlights the values that we defend.

The standards are carefully studied. A standard takes into account various aspects: regulations, current standards, respect for the environment, production rules, social aspects, traceability...

Issuance of organic labels: regular audits

The certification process is a cycle. Certification bodies ensure regular follow-up with their clients to ensure that specifications are continuously and long-term respected.

This is why an organization like Ecocert conducts regular audits. After an initial thorough audit, characterized by significant information collection and on-site visits, annual renewal is planned in most cases.

These renewal audits may be supplemented by so-called surveillance actions. Thus, to ensure a client's compliance with specifications outside the audit day, Ecocert can conduct surprise audits.

Who intervenes in issuing an organic label?

During the certification process, several individuals intervene to avoid any risk of bias. Initially, a business development manager interacts with the company to understand its request and activities.

Once the contract is signed, a qualified auditor intervenes. At Ecocert, auditors are experts trained extensively and regularly. They know how to ask questions, investigate, maintain contact and follow-up with the client, and are perfectly familiar with the label requirements they are auditing. This dual qualification in the profession and a specific area of expertise (agriculture, agri-food, cosmetics, textiles, etc.) ensures rigorous work.

At the beginning of the assessment, the auditor gathers detailed information about the company through a set of documents and external sources. Then, they conduct an on-site inspection for enhanced control. Certification ultimately adds value to the evaluated company. The requirement for compliance with an organic label involves implementing actions, sometimes stringent, to engage in a more sustainable approach.

Finally, a Certification Decision Officer (CDO) analyzes the audit information and the auditor's report. They decide whether to validate the certification based on compliance with label criteria.

Ecocert, an expert in organic labels serving businesses

The work done by Ecocert is internationally recognized for its rigor and the quality of its guarantees. In France alone, over 30,000 agri-food producers trust Ecocert, and 91% of clients recommend the expertise provided.

Among the organic certifications and labels issued by Ecocert are Bio Euroleaf certification, Demeter biodynamic standards (organic agriculture labels), COSMOS label (organic and natural cosmetics label), and GOTS certification allowing the marketing of organic textiles worldwide. In total, and beyond organic, Ecocert certifies more than 150 standards, judged for their positive impact through numerous environmental and societal requirements.