“Conscientious commerce may
be the greatest
non-violent means
to make change available to folks
today... indeed, for greedy and
irresponsible corporations...
the very absence of your dollar,
may be the only language
they understand.”
Joseph Borkovic
» quick bio
Organic Trader™ Canada is the Manufacturer of organic, and USDA-certified personal care, home care, pet care products, offering innovative sustainable green solutions and coaching to businesses and people looking for an authentic glimpse into their reality.
Click here to meet us.
An inspiring story,
Allowing for effective business and life solutions...
for a better life™.
“This story touched my heart.
The inspiritation brought tears,
and the message
got me thinking... Thoroughly enjoyable!
Thank you!!”
Kristie O’Sullivan, Ireland
for a limited time only ... receive your FREE complimentary copy of our brand NEW DVD 'The Promise', just click here and we will send your free DVD today. |
Our story is our Gift to You. We are very thankful to be able to share
our Anam Cara journey - just because it feels good to share
with and inspire others! Please share with those you Love...
Joseph & Zach.
PS. “Anam Cara” is Gaelic (Celtic) for “soul friend”.
Dear Friend,
It All Started at the Toilet
You may not know how our journey started... I was standing at the toilet with my son, who was 3 years old at the time, when he asked me, “Dad, does what we put in the water hurt the fish and other animals?” I had no idea, and said, “Let’s go to the library together and find out!”
That’s When It Got Bad, Real Bad
At the library we found that as humans, we just weren’t very good stewards of the Earth. One particular article described how chemicals in daily–use products – like shampoo, conditioner and lotion – were getting washed down the drain every morning in bathrooms and ended up in the local waterways, rivers, lakes and finally in the oceans. The chemicals were hurting the dolphins and their babies...
Every day, just in Canada & USA, 6.7 billion ounces of daily–use products with toxic synthetics and harmful petro-chemicals are washed into our local waterways, as we all get ready for work or school.
In A Single Moment It Happened,
The Promise
I put down the article and l’il Zach was crying, he then looked me right in the eye and asked, “Dad, what are we going to do to help?”
I still clearly remember this exact moment, it was a life moment. (In looking back... I now clearly see this was a rare life opportunity to receive a special gift from my son) My heart moved up into my throat and on the verge of tears myself, looking Zach back in the eyes, I replied, “I don’t know, but we’ll do something, I promise.”
A Little Boy’s Question By gosh & by golly, little did I know the sense of purpose that would follow, and the father & son adventures that would come from my little boy’s simple question.
Organic Trader was birthed from this very question, from the seeds of that special moment.
I Found Out I Could Do Better
I had never before questioned how what I do everyday affects the Earth and Nature, the animals, the water - or even myself for that matter.
My son’s question became a burning quest to find a better way. I started to find out how deeply and intimately we are all connected through Nature. Zach’s question opened my heart, and my spirit began to awaken...
Since 1999 Organic Trader™ has become an environmental leader in the field of green, organic and sustainable eco-manufacturing methods. Some of our great successes have evolved from the many (so-called) ‘failures’ or disappointments along the way.
My grandpapa used to say, “Joseph, you can never go wrong doing the right thing, just don’t give up my boy, don’t give up!”
Organic Trader™ is more than just an “organic message in a bottle”. Our sustainable vision is changing the way:
Organic Trader’s™ family vision is forging a new generation of eco-products & business solutions that change the way each of us may choose to participate in our world today.
Sometimes we may be seen as 'renegade hippies with an office' - but heck and doggone, what you don't know about us... may really surprise you!
You will find honest and full ingredient disclosure on all our labels. We offer a range of unique organic blends in our own brands and offer Private Label or Custom Green Contract Manufacturing (click here for sustainable, green private label).
In our hand-crafted, organic products, you will find; Certified Organic, Certified Biodynamic, Fair Trade, click here to know more about our Social Justice ingredients program supporting women and children in Africa. For a full listing of the chemical ingredients banned by Organic Trader™ |
We use old-fashioned methods based upon integrity and working with Nature, principles and secrets I learned from my father and grandfather. Artisan ways rooted in working the land. Hardship, ingenuity and sustainability were not options, but necessary, and rewarding, ways of life.
Cowichan Valley (our home) has some of the most fertile organic farmland in the world. The word “Cowichan” comes from the Coast Salish indigenous people and means “the warm welcoming lands”. We are a family owned and run business - always have been, always will be.
Go Organic with us... Eco-blessings to you and your family.
We are deeply thankful to share with you, our dreams, our adventures and our Promise... for a better life.™
Genuinely, Joseph & Zach
Cowichan Bay, B.C.
Joseph, father of Zachary
grand-son of Anton & Deda Mile
great grand-son of Marco & Jhose
Manufacturing and marketing organic products means more organic farms (and less damaging and devasting synthetic chemical inputs...). As a consumer you have more power in that instrument known as the dollar (what grandpa calls the almightie buck) - more Power through your daily spending decisions than any other organized force on this planet.
Knowing this, One is able to exercise their spending options, carefully, and as a firm vote, For or Against - your choice - and that is where, we come in to offer the best options available across all the line of products we offer, with the eco-consumer's blessing - finally getting quality products anchored by responsibile manufacture and marketing/promotion.
Organic Formulations is a family-run operation, and our CEOs - around here that is fancy talk for Chief Environmental Officer - are all the children. We sincerely listen to so many of the wonderful children we have had the opportunity to speak to, and find out about their dreams and ideas, for today and for the future! We are really working for their future and of their children's children - for real, eh! They are straight talking, insightful and simply gorgeous!
We love what we do! It is a good thing we did not listen when we started, some critters were telling us, `Kant be dun`... well add a `g` to that last word and that is what we think of that!
Heck, we didn’t know we would develop, and even be considered a world leader in sustainable environmental technology, we still just call it 'organic' on the farm, and there are more responsible companies out there all the time, we grow like the daisies in the new found sunshine stretching out of the morning dew - each taking care of business - just by ...taking more time and care™.
Pick our brains...
This section is a compilation of articles that might give you a new frame of reference for the brain behind Organic Trader™.
Well, it is just some information we thought was worth sharing - always interesting to have another angle on things.
As a father and son we started our long road
(livin' in a 70's hippie van),
on this amazing adventure & difficult journey together
- with only one goal, our one Promise to each other...
The Promise is:
"to do something real to help the dolphins"
(short story above)
This is why Organic Trader exists as an eco-company !
... to eco-manufacture authentic, organic eco-products
as a better choice - for a better life - by telling the truth.
... "Organic Trader's Mission is to stop
the daily-use of harmful syn-chemicals going into our water"
AND why you will never find 'industry syn-chem junk' "ingredients"
in our/your Organic Trader products EVER
... because I promised my son - so I can promise you
and Mate, I'm keeping my word !"
"Never, ever, ever allow the difficulty of dark times
tempt you into giving up on your Dream, your Gifts, your Genius
and your deepest love for our Spaceship Earth"
Peace to you, from Joseph & Zach! Cowichan Bay, B.C.
The Earth is as a glass house, and we have been throwing stones, once we connect that each part is integrated within the structural whole of the other, we will not continue to participate in the wholesale destruction of the organic whole - this is when our glass house will truly become an unbroken home.
Once we truly realize that each part is connected to, and throughout, the integral whole we will no longer permit or participate in damaging intra and inter-dependent systems, or to any one part of our surroundings - creating more polluted streams, soil, air or toxins in our own bodies.
The debauchery and slow decay of our future through unmanageable leverage of the environment will stop, or we as a species will no longer be able to survive in a healthy or fruitful manner. Numerous other species are dwindling, dying or becoming extinct increasingly every single day now. Our important, busy lives, will at the paramount juncture of natural resource input/output overload, be stopped in their tracks and time will quietly no longer allow us our modern creature comforts. Without clean air, water and soil to grow adequate food it will cease to matter.
The pursuit of vision-less singular profit has become an unnessary carnage of war, upon even our sensibilities. The wholesale destruction of our organic whole, can not allow for any true or real profit. Price is not cost. The lack of sufficient awareness of this devastating cause and effect affects all life here profoundly, as scientifically measured moment by moment and day by day, including our own species.
Our most essential right for survival indicates that we must no longer throw stonesin our own glass house, and act in a fashion where this glass house may again, become an unbroken home. My passion is to continue to implement a complete, effective and efficient model of sustainable business growth through a responsible, balanced and extremely profitable eco-consumer model.
This is the basis of my Vision for Corporate Reciprocity, or a model that today we call, Eco-dynamics-tm.
Of Interest - the most abundant material found on Earth is silica - the crucial building block of glass.
Personal Care Products do not yet Comply with the National Organic Program, An article written by Lacey Phillabaum
While most organic producers may see beauty care as marginally related to their organic endeavors, the expansion of organic standards to cover the sector will have profound conceptual and regulatory implications for the whole organic industry.
Beauty care products are notoriously under-regulated. Any number of dangerous chemical and synthetic additives are used in their processing. The National Organic Program (NOP) has been vague about when and whether organic personal care products will be held to the same standards as organic foods. In the meantime, body care manufactures have seized on the label “organic” as a marketing scheme, sometimes heralding a negligible amount of organic ingredients while their bottles are filled with the same synthetic chemicals.
Unwitting consumers pay premium prices for “organic” products under the misconception that they are materially different than the non-organic products on the shelf. New chemical scares and unverified claims about the health benefits of organic personal care products will continue to drive phenomenal sales growth.
Body care manufacturers have set out to develop their own standards for organic processing. Many insist that their products simply cannot be made in a manner compliant with existing organic standards and want to list hundreds of synthetic processing ingredients as allowable for organic personal care. Their draft standards have tended towards leniency in many regards.
Ultimately, the search for organic personal care standards may force the organic industry to define its outer bounds. If organic is a concept indicative of a lifestyle, organic personal care might be an important element. But if organic is a strict agricultural standard, large commercial processing of organic personal care products may not even be possible.
For now, organic personal care products making fraudulent claims, using toxic ingredients and, at the very least, misleadingly labeled will continue to crowd the shelves of natural food stores.
The larger cosmetic industry increasingly looks to the organic niche as the newest in a long series of “innovations” that drive the market, constantly repackaging “hope in a bottle.” North Americans spend $154 per year per capita on cosmetics. The personal care industry in the US is about a $30 billion a year business. Of the $6.25 billion spent on cosmetics alone in this country in 2000, $190 million was for natural and organic products.
The industry’s hopes for eternal youth are validated by stunning 39 percent growth in the natural and organic cosmetic sector annually. In one survey conducted by Health, 83 percent of responding consumers indicated that they would rather use all natural body products, though more than half could not define "natural" or “organic.”
The myth of beauty and veil of glamour shrouding the sophisticated world of international cosmetics is the stuff of teenage pulp romance, underlain by a global empire of Oz-like proportions, in legend. Liliane Bettencourt, the daughter of L’Oreal founder Eugene Schueller, is the richest person in Europe, with a fortune of $20 billion. But many cosmetic companies have fallen prey to the global recession this past year. Estee Lauder posted a 22 percent drop in net profits in the first fiscal quarter of 2001, with its stock value 34 percent lower for the year. Revlon has suffered nine straight quarters of losses, and its stock is half of what it was a year ago. While these giant cosmetic brands may seem a far cry from natural and organic personal care products, they increasingly look to "organic" as a new marketing concept. Global giant Unilever launched its own organic shampoo in 2000 to much hue and cry. Twenty-year industry leader Aveda was bought by Estee Lauder in 1998.
Cosmetic houses feed on innovations; without them, the market stalls. The industry has no place to go but up. The demand for their products must be constantly remanufactured through “innovation.” “One of the dilemmas facing the industry at the moment is that penetration of many product sectors is extremely high, leaving little scope for attracting new users,” explains trade journal Soap, Perfumery and Cosmetics. “Brand loyalty is extremely strong for cosmetics and toiletries and new product development is the key to keeping customers sweet.” The journalquotes the PR manager for European manufacturer, Mintel, asking, “How can we increase usage among European consumers? Do we change consumer perception or make the product more exciting so that they use more?” One database service for cosmetics logs 300 new products a day. "With penetration levels for many categories reaching an all-time high, companies need to explore different ways of attracting new users,” says Soap, Perfumery and Cosmetics.
Many international manufacturers would very much like to subsume organic within the category of natural. They may not even realize they are different. “The natural trend now encompasses organic, food and aqua ingredients,” writes Soap, Perfumery and Cosmetics. A study of the natural trend by business consultants Article 13 “revealed a new context for natural based on consumers’ increasing awareness of healthy eating, keeping fit, looking after oneself and the benefits of 'me time.'” “Natural is a very rich theme, but it is changing very quickly,” said Jane Fiona Cumming of Article 13.
The development of the “aqua” trend in cosmetics highlights the approach to conceptual marketing that the myth-making cosmetic industry would like to apply to organics. “Aqua is associated with moisture or moisturizing, and is not always restricted to cosmetics and toiletries,” said Mintel’s David Jago. The “aqua” product need only conjure hydrating images, not fulfill the association with hydration.
But organic is neither concept, theme, nor marketing ploy. It is, first and foremost, an agricultural method. Unchecked, the proliferation of the organic beauty market could redefine organic into the language of body care, overwhelming organic agricultural products through sheer number of SKUs and revenue size. With just $26 billion in global organic sales projected for this year, the entire trade is dwarfed by the $30 billion US cosmetics market. In fact the entire US organic market is just larger than the wholesale market for cosmetic chemicals in the US, which themselves are just one small part of product formulations.
While organic advocates have lamented the shift from community to industry, a more important dialectic between lifestyle choice and agricultural method has been neglected. The tension on the line between the community and the industry has slipped unawares through the grasp of organic farmers and their advocates. Organic personal care manufacturing will benefit four big cosmetic chemical manufacturers unless rigorous processing standards are developed and enforced. Only by tying organic beauty care closely to the National Organic Program standards can the "lifestyle" marketed by the manufacturers represent the values at the core of organic agriculture.
The growth of the natural body care industry has not slowed the market for chemical additives for such products. In fact, the chemical companies expect to profit from the trend. "The incorporation of active ingredients, such as plant acids and enzymes, into toiletries and cosmetics has become a major force behind growth in an otherwise mature industry," according to a chemical industry analyst from the Freedonia Group. "These chemicals are sold primarily on the basis of performance rather than price, with demand driven by their substantial marketing value."
Dow Chemical is one of four big cosmetic chemical suppliers which cumulatively claim more than 25 percent of US cosmetic and toiletry chemical sales. They expect a five percent growth insales to $5.6 billion this year. Another of the large chemical suppliers, Cognis, recently introduced plant extracts of three different purity levels for use in cosmetics. "We have observed increased demand for these natural products in the cosmetics market," a company spokeswoman said. The additional price premium to be gained by using certified organic crops for the extracts has not gone unnoticed. Even more profitably, these companies are eager to patent technology to solve the processing dilemmas of organic products.
Numbers quantifying the potential ingredient market for organic growers are harder to come by. Chemical Market Reporter noted the growth of the market for botanical extracts: "Botanical extracts, including herbals that double as food additives or nutritional supplements, are harvesting some of the fastest sales gains among cosmetic chemical products." "We have observed increased demand for these natural products in the cosmetics market," says Ute Griesback, leader of the botanicals project at Cognis's care chemicals business. "Green tea, aloe vera, chamomile and red clover are the front runners in this area."
Body care manufacturers confirm that their use of organic ingredients has increased dramatically in recent years. Mark Egide says three years ago his company, Avalon, was buying "less than $10,000 in certified organic. In 2002, we will spend a million dollars on certified organic ingredients." He sees that the demand for ingredients has helped build a market for organic botanicals and ultimately made the organic body care ideal more accessible. "Some of the key ingredients have come down in price significantly as our volumes have gone up dramatically. Our increase in price has taken care of itself somewhat."
(link to OCA's complaint against the industry's and Avalon's Fraudulent Claims)
Teenage folklore holds that nail polish is sold in diminutive bottles because the stuff is so toxic it wouldn't be legal in a bigger one, not because nails are small. The folklore is right. The composition of many personal care products includes toxic, carcinogenic and endocrine-disrupting materials. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies cosmetics into 13 categories, but it does not regulate them. According to the FDA, "A cosmetic manufacturer may use any ingredient or raw material and market the final product without government approval." Seven toxins are banned, but many more known toxins and carcinogens are allowed in cosmetic formulations. Less than one percent of the FDA's budget is for skin care.
Some body care products, like antiperspirants and deodorants, are actually classified as over-the-counter drugs, not cosmetics,because they affect the function of the body. The health implications of body care products are numerous but, "The cosmetics industry is self regulated," says Gay Timmons, an organic inspector and broker. "As long as you don't kill anybody, you can formulate and produce a product."
A 1994 article in Science cites "reports on the discovery of toxic face powder in a 3,000-year-old tomb in a Mycenean cemetery in Greece as proof that lead has been eroding European women's skin for at least the same period of time." Toxic makeup is nothing new, and at this rate, organic makeup doesn't look likely to be the end of it, as the same dangerous chemicals are allowed in organic personal care products. But recent cosmetic safety scares could be used to market organic personal care as a safer alternative.
The approximately six pounds of skin each human carries around is a porous membrane one-twentieth of an inch thick, through which numerous environmental toxins enter the body. Skin is a "more significant gateway for toxins into your body than what you eat," says organic personal care product manufacturer Diana Kaye of TerrEssentials. Traces of 700 different chemicals can be found in the body. Positive Health cites a study showing 500 chemicals present in a single fat cell of a healthy 30-year-old British female.
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found that 884 chemicals used in personal care products and cosmetics are known to be toxic. A Canadian study in Pediatric Drugs cites cosmetic and personal care products as the most common cause of unintentional poisonings of kids under six.
In July, three consumer protection groups released independent test results showing 52 of 72 consumer products like hair spray, perfume, nail polish, food wrap and medical supplies contained a dangerous class of endocrine-disrupting industrial solvents, called phthalates.
Pthalates are a softener mostly found in products like fragrances and nail polish and not in organic personal care products. But the media attention to phthalates prompted worried consumers to look for something safer. Other toxic chemicals are being used in organic personal care. One of the most common and notorious cosmetic toxins is sodium laurel sulfate. It has not been reviewed for organic processing yet may be in organically labeled body care products.
Another toxin used in organic personal care is methyl paraben. The majority of skin lotions and creams use methyl paraben as a preservative. In the past, worries over methyl paraben have centered on its low systemic toxicity, which can cause allergic reactions. Now methyl-, ethyl-, propyl- and butylparaben have been found to be weakly estrogenic. The European Union has asked the European industry trade group about the implications for breast cancer. While parabens are not potent estrogens, continuous topical exposure may pose a danger. In fact, because the liver metabolizes most ingested paraben, an article by Dr. Elizabeth Smith suggests you'd be better off drinking the stuff than regularly slathering it on your skin.
None of this stops consumers from looking to organic personal care products as a sop for worries about cosmetic materials. Numerous health claims are already being made on behalf of these products.
"Why poison your skin when you can use natural remedies free from toxic chemicals" asks Hilary Magazine, a web-based publication with some discrete and some not-so-discrete product endorsements peppered throughout. "Would you jeopardize your safety and the safety of your loved ones to save a mere couple of dollars by purchasing generic personal care products at a local drugstore? I hope not. I support and believe in all natural, organic personal care products (90-day money back guarantee). Discover for yourself!"
It is widely accepted in the industry that consumers buy organic beauty products under the illusion that the products are held to organic food standards. Despite this awareness, the word organic is used on the labels of products that do include toxic processing materials and which do not comply with the NOP.
"Customers may not realize that the organic label claims on nonfood products doesn't necessarily represent the same standards as they do on foods," acknowledged the organic trade publication Natural Food Merchandiser in March.
"Nowhere do the terms 'natural' and 'organic' take more of a bruising than in the cosmetic industry," according to New Vegetarian and Natural Health. "Most cosmetics companies utilizing the term 'organic' on their label are using the chemistry definition of organic-meaning a compound that contains carbon... By using this definition they could say that a toxic petrochemical preservative called methyl paraben is 'organic' because it was formed by leaves that rotted over thousands of years to become oil."
"Right now, it's really a free for all," says Kerin Franklin of Frontier Natural Brand, the manufacturer of the Aura Cacia line of personal care products.
But most organic advocates are hesitant to call a spade a spade. The network of certifiers, ingredient reviewers and consultants who monitor the marketplace on behalf of organic farmers and producers, after all, have a monetary interest in courting, not castigating, potential organic manufacturers. English organic certifier, the Soil Association, refers delicately to "a marketplace currently saturated with unverified claims" and many products with "unsubstantiated or questionable organic claims."
"There is a great deal of abuse in the supplement and personal care industry right now," says Gay Timmons, "well, not a great deal, but some. I think it is a problem for growers if the word organic doesn't maintain its meaning."
"No one wants to stand up to these folks," agrees Brian Baker, a materials reviewer for the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI). (OMRI does not have a policy on personal care products.) "Their products are full of synthetic ingredients that are prohibited. Cosmetics are not subject to the same scrutiny as food products."
No one seems more confused about whether the National Organic Program regulates these products, or at least their organic claims, than the NOP.
Language in the preamble to the 1990 Organic Food Production Act, the NOP's authorizing legislation, says it is superceded by the Food, Drugs and Cosmetics Act, the authorizing legislation of the FDA. Until May of this year, both the organic and personal care industries assumed the NOP would not effect the products. But on May 5, the NOP released a statement that appears to claim these products fall under its scope. Since then, an industry driven lobbying campaign has pressured the NOP to back off. While no new public statement has been released by the NOP, the industry itself feels confident that it will not fall under the purview of the National Organic Program or be held accountable to the labeling laws come this October. Fortunately, a few manufacturers are working to bring their labels into compliance and a handful are releasing formulations meeting the materials requirements of the NOP.
"We here in the Department of Agriculture deal with food and other products. Personal care products, I would suggest that you check with the FDA," remarks NOP public affairs specialist George Chartier confidently. "I was talking to people higher up in the USDA just the other day and they were confirming that those products would not be covered."
Questioned about the NOP's May 5 statement, Chartier seems less sure, "I am almost certain that we are not involved with personal care. Let me just triple check... I'll call you back." The NOP statement reads, in part, "The regulations under the NOP apply to the following products, classes of products and production systems:... cosmetics, body care products..."
"I have researched the question of personal care products and the NOP and this is how it was explained to me," Chartier continues. "[The NOP] is not seeking at this time to focus the organic program on cosmetics. The Department of Agriculture focuses its energy on agricultural products. If a company wants to have the word 'organic' on its packaging it needs to find a certifying agent that is willing to work with the company."
Chartier seemed unaware that many such uncertified products making organic claims already exist.
Despite the NOP's confusion, the personal care sector believes it has exempted itself from the NOP final rule via the fiat power of its trade group-the personal care task force of the Organic Trade Association (OTA). Some manufacturers even seem unaware that there is a difference between the regulatory body overseeing organics and the OTA.
"I don't think anyone is going to change the labels until there is an actual rule," says Avalon's CEO Mark Egide. "The October 21 statement only applies to food. I don't believe the initial statement that they wanted compliance will apply. The OTA has asked for an 18-month extension of that timeline... There is no enforceable rule or regulation at this time for non-food products."
"Our expectation is that you will continue to see labels of all different kinds on the shelf for awhile," says OTA task force head Phil Margolis.
Some small companies like Australian manufacturer Organic Formulations have already changed their labels. But Production Manager, Joe Borkovic acknowledges, "I don't know any manufacturers who are seriously addressing the problems with complying and labeling. We really haven't seen a movement in that direction. Either we have underestimated the actuality of it being implemented or no one is worried."
Behind the scenes the personal care task force has attempted to heavily influence NOP policy regarding personal care products. The task force has already drafted its own personal care standards that it would very much like to see used as the basis of the NOP's. While the task force is composed of a wide variety of experts from all sizes of industry and private certifiers, its track record is mixed and the draft standards have tended to err on the side of industrial ease over organic integrity. If not monitored carefully by farmers and consumers, the task force may become a force forestalling stronger regulation.
Existing NOP regulations for organic foods establish four categories of organic claims. The least significant category, products that use less than 70 percent organic ingredients, cannot make organic claims on the primary display panel. The personal care task force first tried to dilute these categories for organic personal care products by lowering the threshold for "made with organic" to 50 percent. It has since given up the effort, but a number of member manufacturers continue to label products with less than 70 percent organic ingredients as "made with organic."
The task force also considered the proposition that water should be included in the calculation of organic ingredient percentages for personal care products. Some manufacturers argued that a water infusion of certified organic ingredients was a single ingredient and must be weighed and calculated as one. This position is cheerfully acknowledged as ridiculous now, and English organic certifier, the Soil Association, has since required that certified components of all water-based ingredients be measured separately. The draft task force standards, however, still recommend that hydrosols with a small percentage of certified extracts be factored at their weight with water.
"The task force had recommended for the purpose of calculating the percentage of organic ingredients, a hydrosol is considered a single ingredient. Also the task force determined that water infusions cannot be counted as a single ingredient," says task force head Phil Margolis.
Coincidentally, Donna Bayliss, founder of the task force, manufactures all of the lavender hydrosols that are at the foundation of many Avalon Organic Botanicals "made with organic" products. Avalon Organic Botanicals web page claims the task force "standards specifically address the issue of 'blends' and 'infusions,' which are simply organic ingredients (typically herbs) blended in added water." Though hydrosols are also water-based dilutions, Avalon's organic products include "certified lavender hydrosol" in their calculation of ingredient percentages.
"We guarantee that the certified organic percentage on all our product labels is measured strictly with undiluted ingredients, and does not include water, water-herbal blends, or aqua herbal infusions. We use only 100 percent certified organic ingredients, including our certified organic lavender hyrosol, aloe vera, plant oils, herbal extracts." While the task force and Avalon may be holding to a fine distinction between a hydrosol and a water-based ingredient, the exclusion of water is carefully laid out in the NOP's labeling guidelines. Any personal care product companies that do include water in their calculations of organic ingredients in products entering the stream of US commerce after October 21 will be flouting the labeling guidelines of the National Organic Program.
(link to OCA's complaint against the industry's and Avalon's Fraudulent Claims)
Some organic personal care manufacturers argue that their products cannot be held to the NOP standards because it is not possible to make the products with only the ingredients allowed for food processing.
Organic consultant Peter Murray suggested that non food ingredients would need to be allowed for personal care products, saying a materials list of "all the ingredients that make things like shampoo and soap functional, preservatives, carriers, solvents and things of that nature" should be created. "Shampoo is not much good if it doesn't wash the hair, you can't just do that with water and detergent and herbs." In particular, Murray cited ingredients "that provide functionality" like "soil removal with surfactants" as necessary. The most common surfactant in shampoo is sodium lauryl sulfate.
Murray says FDA regulations require certain functional ingredients like preservatives. To his way of thinking, the law requires the use of chemicals. "Just like in food, you can't violate an additional regulation just to be organic."
OTA's Tom Hutcheson made it clear that the trade group would lean towards lenience in its proposed personal care product standards, suggesting to Natural Foods Merchandiser that, "The biggest hurdle for the organic personal care niche will be to convince the overall organic industry that the synthetics it uses in processing products are as necessary as the allowable synthetics in food."
Preservatives are one of the key ingredients that manufacturers claim are necessary to produce shelf-stable organic products.
An article in Alive: Canadian Journal of Health and Nutrition explains, "Every chemical cosmetic product on the market is formulated for shelf life of over three years. Therefore, each contains a large amount of preservatives (usually four synthetic parabens) to prevent spoilage. These are cellular toxins; otherwise, they wouldn't kill microbes. They penetrate the skin to a certain extent and many have been shown to cause allergic reactions and dermatitis."
"When you buy a lotion it may sit on your shelf for years," says broker Gay Timmons. "You would not buy any kind of food, open it and then leave it on your shelf for two or three years. That is what people do with cosmetics. That requires a rather important and profound use of preservatives because of the pathogen concerns and fungal concerns. How do you balance that preservative system need with an organic claim? Can we even do it?"
The notion that the FDA regulations require non-organic food ingredients is more specious than the claim that the FDA regulates the cosmetics industry. Materials expert Baker, who was briefly part of the OTA task force, points out that the use of preservatives for shelf stability may not be compatible with consumer expectations of the meaning of organic. "Consumers who buy organic expect their food to be freshŠ without preservatives. Perhaps one solution is to not claim that something is shelf stable and just put instructions to refrigerate. You'd have to talk to the FDA. This is an assertion that I've heard repeated, but no one has been able to give me a referenceto the legislation or the agency. Even if people are required by law to use prohibited substances to make a product that does not entitle them to label it organic," says Baker, reversing Murray's assertion that "You can't violate an additional regulation just to be organic."
While some companies claim organic personal care products can't be made without synthetic preservatives or with all-organic ingredients, others say they are already doing it. Joe Borkovic of Australia's Organic Formualtions says his family makes certified organic blends and personal care products without synthetics. American producer TerrEssentials also claims to make some personal care products with organic ingredients.
Jayne Ollin of Lakon Herbals wrote in June for the Organic Consumers Association: "Many large health and beauty aide manufacturers have begun lobbying USDA in an effort to convince officials that personal care products cannot be made without the use of synthetic additives or that botanical preparations or herbal essential oil cannot be extracted without the use of toxic solvents such as hexane or petrolŠ This attempt to lower the standards is not compelled by the science of botanical formulations."
British certifier the Soil Association released its own "developmental" personal care standards in April, saying, "Our guiding principles have been to ensure a maximum proportion of organic ingredients, minimum processing and clear labeling." In explaining that their standards included non-food materials, the Soil Association commented, "We have kept as far as possible to the same principles that relate to organic food, where a very limited list of additives and preservatives are permitted. Many beauty products are complex and require complicated processes. For safety and hygiene reasons, it is sensible to allow some preservatives."
Organic Formualtion's Joe Borkovic puts the question of synthetic and natural in perspective, "I think it is possible to create products with completely natural ingredients, not just naturally derived. The real question is are we using principles of sustainability. If we continue to use ingredients that are harmful to ourselves and the natural environment, we will continue to denigrate this earth. We can find options and need to find options to move in a direction where we can mitigate some of the harm for what we are doing to the earth."
The effect of cosmetic chemicals on the environment is just beginning to be understood. In March, a team of US Geological Survey scientists showed that a variety of chemicals from personal care products were among 95 wastewater contaminants found in US waterways. While clean water efforts historically focused on obvious, point-sources of pollution like heavy industry, personal care products and pharmaceuticals have posed a much more insidious and serous threat to aquatic life. Every night when the daily share of that $30 billion in cosmetics is washed off, it is washed into the sewage system and ultimately the waterways. An EPA report notes that these chemicals have a devastating effect even when they are not "persistent" because they are continuously replenished. "Their continual infusion into the aquatic environment serves to sustain perpetual life-cycle exposure for aquatic organisms." Similarly the anti-fungal and anti-microbial ingredients that make personal care products shelf-stable retain their anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties in microbe- and fungus-rich aquatic environments. Ultimately, the result is a double exposure for humans, who drink the chemicals they wash down the drain in their tap water.
The final determination about allowable ingredients in organic products lies with the NOP. The National Organic Program already has a system in place to assess the suitability of different materials: the technical advisory panel (TAP) review. This process has shown itself to be highly deliberative and fairly transparent in the past, with long and public debates at the NOSB level about controversial materials like synthetic amino acids in livestock feed and boiler chemicals containing volatile amines. The OTA task force is arguing that the speed of the past TAP reviews is not sufficient to list personal care processing materials quickly enough. The task force claims only 150 TAP reviews have been done in the last three years and estimates that, at the current rate, it would take many years to evaluate the unapproved materials currently used in personal care processing. OTA proposes that classes of materials be reviewed under single TAPs to speed the process.
"The food industry had 12 years to develop the materials list, and there are still some materials that need to be reviewed. If you assume that every single ingredient would have to have a TAP review, instead of categories of ingredients for personal care products, fiber and supplements, then there are probably easily 1,000 ingredients that need TAP review. TAP reviews have been occurring at the rate of 50 to 75 a year," says Phil Margolis. "Categories would be an efficacious way to provide for appropriate implementation."
Conversely, the industry's desire to approve 1,000 new ingredients for organic processing might be viewed as the problem, not the speed of the review process. At present, there are less than 100 synthetic materials allowed in organic production. While it might be acceptable to approve a class of benign materials or prohibit harmful ones in one fell swoop, many ingredients will require individual TAPs. The recommendation for categories of TAPs could be used by the industry to list ingredients that might not otherwise qualify for approval.
California recently amended its state organic food production act to give state regulatory agencies purview over personal care products. If signed by the governor, the legislation will allow the California Department of Agriculture and Health Services to enforce the NOP as a state organic program. The law will ensure that, for Californian consumers at least, personal care products will have to live up to the 70 percent standard of processed organic foods.
Gay Timmons worked on the amendments and says, "All the state of California has done is protected consumers and farmers so far. It is sort of the first volley."
California Department of Agriculture organic program manager Ray Green explains that the law would go into effect on January 1, 2003, "and we would probably begin immediate enforcement, at least in terms of educating the industry and notifying people and starting to get them to change their formulas and change their labels."
California's approach makes clear that organic personal care regulations are coming. Sooner or later, there will be a standard for processing organic lipstick, lotion, shampoo and the like. But the strength of those standards is still malleable.
Organics offers body care what amounts to gold in the language of the industry of illusion: something new. If makeup is hope in a bottle, organic ingredients in organic makeup should be the substance of that hope. The acceptance of natural forces implicit in the work of an organic farm is in tension with the mission of all things "cosmetic." "Natural products" themselves are in tension with the nature we know of a farm. The organic landscape is a diverse patchwork of sweeping pastures, double-stitched vegetable rows, palettes for composting, greenhouses, barns, orchards and home. It does not seek to force grand uniformity across the landscape through tractor or pesticide. It does not seek to disguise disease of the body or tame the unkempt earth with synthetic inputs and makeup. The illusions and misconceptions at the base of cosmetics may be irreconcilable with the transparent, uniform standards of the National Organic Program. The NOP should begin challenging fraudulent organic labeling claims while evaluating these questions. In one way, organic beauty can affirm the acceptance of nature that organic farms seek-by accepting the meaning of the word organic as legislated by the National Organic Program and mimicking the spirit of organic farming, which does not endlessly seek to replicate the world in its own image.
Reprinted with permission from In Good Tilth, a publication of Oregon Tilth. Become a member of Oregon Tilth -- see http://www.tilth.org/MEMB.html for details.
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Yes, any agricultural product that meets certification requirements may be considered organic. A wide array of certified organic foods are becoming available, including coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate bars, pasta, prepared sauces, frozen juices, frozen meals, milk, ice cream and frozen novelties, cereals, meat, poultry, breads, soups, cookies, beer, wine, and vodka. These foods, in order to be certified organic, have all been grown and processed according to organic standards and must maintain a high level of quality.
No! Organic foods have been a particularly bright spot on the agricultural horizon in recent years. U. S. retail sales of organic food grew from $1 billion in 1990, to $5.5 billion in 1998, $6.5 billion in 1999, and nearly $7.8 billion in 2000.
The market for organic foods worldwide has been growing at 20%¬25% annually during the 1990s. Demand for organic products internationally is at an all time high and still growing rapidly. (statistics reported by U. S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service, AgExporter June 2000.)
"Industry observers expect demand for organic products and commodities around the world to grow. Core support for organics is strongest among affluent, educated, health-conscious consumers. The motivations that first drew them to organics, such as concern for the environment and their personal health, are likely to endure. (U. S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service, AgExporter June 2000.)
According to a study conducted in March 2001 by Roper Starch Worldwide for Walnut Acres, 63% of Americans buy organic foods and beverages at least some of the time. Forty percent of Americans say organic foods will be a bigger part of their diet within one year. (Who Is Eating Organic? And Why? March 2001.)
According to a January 25, 1999, United Nations Food and Agriculture announcement, "Consumer demand for organically produced food is on the rise and provides new market opportunities for farmers and businesses around the world." United Nations Food & Agriculture web site, 1999. Organic shoppers are significantly more likely than other shoppers to say their diet is very important, and that their food choices are influenced by environmental issues. In addition, college educated shoppers are the key market for organic products. (HealthFocus Inc., "What Do Consumers Want from Organics?" 1999.) Globally, consumers now spend $22 billion a year on organic products. Organic farming is the fastest growing sector in the agricultural economy. Nearly half of the major U. S. supermarkets now carry organic products. In Japan, demand is growing by more than 20% a year.
Demographics: Over 40% of all organic users are between 36¬55 years old. Organic users are 25% more likely to have a bachelor¹s or post-graduate degree. Organic users and the general population are moving into closer alignment as organic products move into the mainstream consciousness. (Organic Consumer Trends 2001, Natural Marketing Institute.)
The "Organic Lifestyle Shopper Study 2000," conducted by the Hartman Group market research firm, reports that the top five motivators for organic food and beverage purchases are: health/nutrition, 66%; taste, 38%; food safety, 30%; environment, 26%; and availability, 16%. (Organic Lifestyle Shopper Study 2000, The Hartman Group.)
According to the 15-year study "Farming Systems Trial" conducted by the Rodale Institute of Pennsylvania, organic agriculture can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and, on average, uses 50% less energy than conventional farming methods. (Lori Drinkwater, "Legume-based Cropping Systems Have Reduced Carbon and Nitrogen Losses," Nature magazine, Nov. 18, 1998, pp. 262265.)
Conventional agricultural methods can cause water contamination. Beginning in May 1995, tap water was tested for herbicides in cities across the United States¹ Corn Belt, and in Louisiana and Maryland. The results revealed widespread contamination of tap water with many different pesticides at levels that present serious health risks. In some cities, herbicides in tap water exceed federal lifetime health standards for weeks or months at a time. Toxic chemicals are contaminating groundwater on every inhabited continent, endangering the world's most valuable supplies of freshwater, according to a Worldwatch paper, Deep Trouble: The Hidden Threat of Groundwater Pollution. Several water utilities in Germany now pay farmers to switch to organic operations because this conversion costs less than removing farm chemicals from water supplies.
The environmental costs of using recommended pesticides in the United States are estimated to be $9 billion a year. 67 million birds are killed each year from the recommended use of pesticides. (David Pimentel, Environmental and Socio-Economic Costs of Pesticide Use, Techniques for Reducing Pesticide Use, 1997.)
The Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development has released a report entitled "Pesticides: Making the Right Choice for the Protection of Human Health and the Environment". The committee stated, ³Where possible, organic products should be chosen." It added, "There is a booming domestic and export market for organic foods. The advantages of organic farming are many: reduced soil erosion, retention of soil nutrients, surface and ground water that is uncontaminated by pesticides."
In coffee-growing countries, where there are fewer pollution controls in place, contamination of water supplies is even more serious, and the benefits of organic farming are even more significant.
Restaurant & Institution's Jan. 1, 1998 report "A Year to Flavor," lists organic produce as one of the year's biggest trends, stating: "Organic foods will play a burgeoning role in food service."
In Food & Wine magazine¹s 1997 Chef's Survey, administered by Louis Harris & Associates, 76 percent of those chefs surveyed responded "Yes" to the question, "Do you actively seek out organically grown ingredients?"
According to the U.S. National Restaurant Association, organic items are now offered by about 57 percent of restaurants with per person dinner cheques of $25 or more. In addition, 29 percent of restaurants with prices in the $15 to $24 range also offer organic items.
The winner of the "Award of Excellence" in the "Chef of the Year" category at the annual International Association for Culinary Professionals 1997 Awards Ceremony was chef Nora Pouillon, of Restaurant Nora in Washington, D.C. Pouillon estimates 95 percent of the ingredients used at Restaurant Nora are organic.
Renowned chefs who advocate using organic ingredients include: Alice Waters, Nora Pouillon, Rick Bayless, Jesse Cool, Stan Frankenthaler, Peter Hoffman, John Ash and Charlie Trotter.
In 1998 Swissair became the first air carrier to serve organic foods to passengers. The change came after surveys showed that customers wanted food that is "fresh and natural."
Organics is not just common sense anymore, now that business has found that consumers really want this they will also endeavor to protect the environment because it has become profitable.
The organic guarantee of purity & integrity
is
step by step independent
Certification
at all 9 stages of production
It's simple, Organic protocols and standards should include Organic Certification from, Seed to Shelf™.
The integrity of this process involves independent certification at each and all nine stages of production. Seed to Shelf™ means Organic or Biodynamic Certification at each step, from;
Still yet, there are more proprietary steps to include for the customer and environment's benefit to complete the product life-cycle... taking more time and care.
Too many “natural” labels today sport the word "organic" with no basis that it is actually an organic product with organic certification.
There are certifiers (Eco Cert) who actually will certify a skin care product as "organic" - if ONLY 10% of ingredients are actually certified organic (ok with the rest as petro-chemicals - actually no it is NOT!). Is this really organic - or cheap, dirty marketing? (I don't have to answer that, right?)
The word organic, in every case in labeling is legislated to mean, "certified organic", period ... so when you see the word organic on a skin care label, the law clearly states that it must be "certified organic" with a certification logo... you may have noticed that this is not true in the market, that greedy, unscrupulous companies are ripping you (and the planet) off with greenwashing.
Which is why there is a now a significant court case in California, for using the word "organic" fraudulently, inappropriately and misleading consumers. The companies Dr. Bronner named in the lawsuit for fraudulent mislabeling and misuse of the word "organic", are:
...over 97% of all labels on the store shelf, in respect to the word “organic” are greenwashing and miss-leading, so watch out for the labels! Simply ask the company for a copy of their product and ingredient certifications (they likely won't have any, nada, zilch, zero, zippo!). Organic Trader™ has over 60 certifications.
Remember the law in Canada and USA clearly states, that “organic” means “certified organic”. (Joseph is on the OTA task force for the Canadian government legislation for the new, Organic Product Regulations organic standards)
Protect and guard yourself and your family against numerous personal care companies that use non-organic, pesticide-intensive agricultural and/or petrochemical material to make the main cleansing and moisturizing ingredients of their misbranded "Organic" products.
Read just below here... exactly why consumers should be suspicious about ANY LABEL sporting the word ORGANIC... yes, we want you to scrutinize ours too... because the blatant greenwashing of labels just to get your hard-earned cash - is simply wrong... here is some inside dirt on cheaters.
Jason's, Avalon, Nature's Gate, Kiss My Face, Juice "Organics", Giovanni "Organic Cosmetics", Head "Organics", Desert Essence "Organics", Ikove "Organic" Amazonian
The major cleansing ingredient in Jason "Pure, Natural & Organic" liquid soaps, bodywashes and shampoos is Sodium Myreth Sulfate, which involves ethoxylating a conventional non-organic fatty chain with the carcinogenic petrochemical Ethylene Oxide, which produces caricinogenic 1,4-Dioxane as a contaminant.
The major cleansing ingredient in Avalon "Organics" soaps, bodywashes and shampoos, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, contains conventional non-organic agricultural material combined with the petrochemical Amdiopropyl Betaine.
Nature's Gate "Organics" main cleansers are Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate (ethoxylated) and Cocamidopropyl Betaine.
Kiss My Face "Obsessively Organic" cleansers are Olefin Sulfonate (a pure petrochemical) and Cocamidopropyl Betaine.
Juice "Organics", Giovanni "Organic Cosmetics", Head "Organics", Desert Essence "Organics", Ikove "Organic" Amazonian Avocado Bath & Shower Gel all use Cocamdiopropyl Betaine and no cleansers made from certified organic material. (excerpt from OCA)
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Learn to read labels & ask for certifications Organic Trader™ is very meticulous about third-party, independent certification (we have over 60 certifications) at each and every step of the manufacturing processes, including for crucial organic raw materials sourcing.
The result?... pure quality, organic cosmetics, skin, body, hair and baby care, even cleaners... that are honestly pure, organic and sustainable! (and completely septic safe and biodegradable)
The Organic Trader™ crew also very much believes in Certified Biodynamic - a special ideology & method stemming from Dr. Rudolph Steiner's lectures in 1922 - based upon soil science (feeding the soil to feed the plants) and the natural cycles of the moon and planets. To obtain certification usually takes 7-10 years, as each farm is certified as a whole, living organism.
Biodynamic growing is considered superior to Organic in the way that it is based upon a whole systems, or full circle, approach to sustainability. Studies also show biodynamic crops consistently contain higher nutrient content in the harvest raw materials, require less water and resist natural pests and extreme climate conditions better.
Biodynamic methodology is well established in Europe, Egypt and India. The leader in Biodynamic farming is Australia - currently with over 1.2 million acres of Biodynamic farm land - over 20 x more than the rest of the world combined.
Each and every Organic Trader™ blend is formulated with the knowledge of the benefits in using traditional herbs and essential oils, while keeping in mind the alchemy of the human body (a dynamic, living organism) and Earth (also a dynamic, living organism- known as Gaia).
Organic Trader™ also takes a strong look at what is the environmental impact on using such products, before, during and after; production, usage, and at the end of the product's life-cycle, even during discardage. We are currently working on biodegrabable plastic containers made instead of from the usual tree fibre, with hemp fibre - preventing further destruction of our forests.
We Come from Nature,
Why Not Learn from Nature ?
A whole systems approach is how Nature has been working since the beginning of time. In Nature everything is useful and benefits something else... why not us, as humans, endeavour to follow this example?
Organic is Not Enough,
what then is Beyond Organic ?
Because what is out there might not be enough... all organic standards are based ONLY on what goes INTO the bottle - and not the bottles used, or the labels - or how they are made, or even what happens to the packaging during and after product use. [ it makes absolutely no sense to cut down trees for labels to go on "organic" products ]
For any company to claim it is "sustainable" it MUST take into account, and ACT UPON all elements within the business itself, as well as raw materials sourcing and final product lifecycle.
At Organic Trader™ this very question has evolved into the most comprehensive environmental and sustainable standard in the world today. EcoStar Green™.
It isn't enough... all organic standards are based ONLY on what goes INTO the bottle - and not the bottles used, or the labels - or how they are made, or even what happens to the packaging during and after product use. [ it makes absolutely no sense to cut down trees for labels to go on "organic" products ]
For any company to claim it is "sustainable" it MUST take into account, and ACT UPON all elements within the business itself, as well as raw materials sourcing and final product lifecyle.
This whole system's approach is how Nature has been working since the beginning of time. In Nature everythin is useful and benefits something else... why not us, as humans, endeavour to follow this example?
At Organic Trader™ Canada this very question has evolved into the most comprehensive environmental and sustainable standard in the world today. EcoStar Green™.
All of our product labels - we are proud to say - are FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified ancient forest-friendly (tree-free) paper, made 100% with wind power. Add rock paper info.
Since the beginning, our family's premium/organic formulations and blends employ very strict, sustainable guidelines:
Click here
for our "Unacceptables List" pdf -
a document stating the
chemical ingredients banned by Organic Trader™Canada.
This strict standard is unfortunately not the case in the industry.
Click here
For EWG article, "Teen Girls' Body Burden of
Hormone-Altering
Cosmetics Chemicals".
So, what ingredients ARE in your body care?
(Extract from "The Organic Advisory Line" 1992)
alkaline substances:
Alkaline substances are often used in skin and hair care products to neutralise excess amounts of acid within a product. A common alkali used in such a way is ammonium chloride, which has been cited to cause skin rashes. This substance is also used in the making of fire extinguishers.
artificial fragrances:
Over the past century success in reproducing the natural aromas in the form of synthetic fragrances has today formed an industry in itself. It is important to understand that the chemicals easily invade the body through inhalation and not only through what we eat. When we consider that a fragrance can represent a cocktail of up to 200 chemicals, all personal care items that contain artificial fragrances are nothing short of a recipe for disaster. Why then are they used? Cost is the primary reason. To cite a simple example, the natural rose oil can cost thousands of dollars per kilogram, whereas a low quality chemical substitute can be added at less than 1% of the price.
mineral phosphates:
Home used products such as shampoos and cleaning products account for almost 30% of phosphates in our sewerage system. Phosphates strongly contribute to the outbreak of the highly toxic blue green algae, a substance that is poisoning our waterways and killing marine life. Toxic blue green algae is 10 times more lethal than strychnine and 200 times more lethal than cyanide.
added enzymes:
Enzymes are protein molecules that maintain the life process within a living organism. Unfortunately the crude industrial methods that are prevalent nowadays such as intensives heat treatments often render a product lifeless. As a consequence, enzymes need to be added to generate a rebirth for the product. It could be dangerous to allow a substance to enter the human body in a lifeless form, as it has not been created to handle such an event. For example, the junkfood that we are often persuaded to eat would be rather difficult to eat if it were not treated with added enzymes prior to our consumption. We are very proud to say Organic Formulations Skin, Body and Hair Care require no added enzymes, as all of our products contain the life force that can be found in nature itself.
bleaching and brightening chemicals:
Bleaching and brightening chemicals have little or no place in an effective home care product. They are used simply as a marketing tool to highlight (brighteners) or remove (bleaches) colours in order to persuade the consumer that they have purchased a superior product. The most common bleaches are chlorine and peroxide, each having its own destructive effect on the environment and our health.
fillers:
As the word suggests, fillers are used to add size or weight to a product to give a ' value for money 'impression. Organic Trader™ refuses to make such concessions and is committed to supplying people with effective products rather than persuasive appearances.
tar derivitives:
Coal tar is used to seal wooden light poles, to make roadways and is used in many of our personal care items (commonly used in the making of artificial colours). Coal tar has an element called PAH that is suspected to be carcinogenic. Anti-dandruff shampoo contain tar derivatives and is said to that after just one hair wash it is possible to absorb as much PAH as a coal oven worker after a full days work. Coal tar is widely known to cause cancer in animals and can be the cause of skin rashes and hives. It is often used in the personal care industry as a solvent.
artificial colours:
Colours are another in a long line of chemicals witnessed in modern society that are fundamentally used to attract more consumer dollars and nothing more. Often such constituents as FD & C yellow or FD & C green could be used to make a product appear as though it contained the natural ingredients of honey or seaweed for example. Two examples are FD & C blue no.1 which has been shown to cause tumours in animals and FD & C red no.40 which is made from carcinogenic substances. Both considered safe when released on the market yet later were found to have detrimental side effects.
Warning:
Do not read this SHOCKING new exposé
Toxins, Danger, Truth & Cancer Causing Chemicals in Skin Care & Cosmetics
- if you are of weak constitution or easily offended!
Click here or on image to access & read the 88 pages of shocking scientific research.
You will never look at the skin care & cosmetics in your purse or bathroom the same way, ever again !
Animal ingredients are used not because they are better than vegetable-derived or synthetic ingredients but rather because they are generally cheaper. Today's slaughterhouses must dispose of the byproducts of the slaughter of billions of animals every year and have found an easy and profitable solution in selling them to food and cosmetics manufacturers.
Animal ingredients come from every industry that uses animals: meat, fur, wool, dairy, egg, and fish, as well as industries such as horse racing and rodeos, which send unwanted animals to slaughter.
Rendering-plants process the bodies of millions of tons of dead animals every year, transforming decaying flesh and bones into profitable animal ingredients.
The primary source of animal-product for rendering-plants are slaughterhouses, which provide the "inedible" parts of all animals killed for food. The bodies of companion animals or pets who are euthanized in animal shelters as well end up at rendering plants. One small plant in Quebec renders 10 tons of dogs and cats a week, a sobering reminder of the horrible dog and cat overpopulation problem with which shelters must cope.
Some animal ingredients do not wind up in the final product but are used in the manufacturing process. For example, in the production of some refined sugars, bone char is used to whiten the sugar; in some wines and beers, isinglass (from the swim bladders of fish) is used as a "clearing" agent.
Adding to the confusion over whether or not an ingredient is of animal origin is the fact that many companies have removed the word "animal" from their ingredient labels to avoid putting off consumers. For example, rather than use the term "hydrolyzed animal protein," companies may use another term such as "hydrolyzed collagen." Simple for them, but frustrating for the caring consumer.
Thousands of products on store shelves have labels that are hard to decipher. It's nearly impossible to fully avoid hidden ingredients, but it's getting easier to avoid products with animal ingredients. Our list will give you a good working knowledge of the most common animal-derived ingredients and their alternatives, allowing you to make more informed decisions.
The following list of animal ingredients and their alternatives, helps consumers avoid toxic animal ingredients in food, cosmetics, and other products. Please note, however, that it is not all-inclusive. There are thousands of technical and patented names for ingredient variations.
Furthermore, many ingredients known by one name can be of animal, vegetable or synthetic origin. If you have a question regarding an ingredient in a product, call the manufacturer, or e-mail us with the question, we will answer you as fully as possible. Good sources of additional information are the Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients, the Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives, or an unabridged dictionary. All of these are available at most libraries.
Below are just some of the more common animal-derived ingredients found in Cosmetics today!
* Albumen or Albumin: In cosmetics, albumen is usually derived from egg whites and used as a coagulating agent. May cause allergic reaction.
* Allantoin: Uric acid from cows, most mammals. Also in many plants (especially comfrey). In cosmetics (especially creams and lotions) and used in treatment of wounds and ulcers. Derivatives: Alcloxa, Aldioxa. Alternatives: extract of comfrey root, synthetics.
* Alpha-Hydroxy Acids: Any one of several acids used as an exfoliant and in anti-wrinkle products. Lactic acid may be animal-derived (see Lactic Acid). Alternatives:glycolic acid, citric acid, and salicylic acid are plant- or fruit-derived.
* Ambergris: From whale intestines. Used as a fixative in making perfumes and as a flavoring in foods and beverages. Alternatives: synthetic or vegetable fixatives.
* Amino Acids: The building blocks of protein in all animals and plants. In cosmetics, vitamins, supplements, shampoos, etc. Alternatives: synthetics, plant sources.
* Animal Fats and Oils: In foods, cosmetics, etc. Highly allergenic. Alternatives: olive oil, wheat germ oil, coconut oil, flaxseed oil, almond oil, safflower oil, etc.
* Arachidonic Acid: A liquid unsaturated fatty acid that is found in liver, brain, glands, and fat of animals and humans. Generally isolated from animal liver. Used in companion animal food for nutrition and in skin creams and lotions to soothe eczema and rashes. Alternatives: synthetics, aloe vera, tea tree oil, calendula ointment.
* Bee Pollen: Microsporic grains in seed plants gathered by bees then collected from the legs of bees. Causes allergic reactions in some people. In nutritional supplements, shampoos, toothpastes, deodorants. Alternatives: synthetics, plant amino acids, pollen collected from plants.
* Beeswax. Honeycomb: Wax obtained from melting honeycomb with boiling water, straining it, and cooling it. From virgin bees. Very cheap and widely used but harmful to the skin. In lipsticks and many other cosmetics (especially face creams, lotions, mascara, eye creams and shadows, face makeup’s, nail whiteners, lip balms, etc.). Derivatives: Cera Flava. Alternatives: paraffin, vegetable oils and fats. Ceresin a.k.a. ceresine a.k.a. earth wax. (Made from the mineral ozokerite. Replaces beeswax in cosmetics. Also used to wax paper, to make polishing cloths, in dentistry for taking wax impressions, and in candle-making.) Also, carnauba wax (from the Brazilian palm tree; used in many cosmetics, including lipstick; rarely causes allergic reactions). Candelilla wax (from candelilla plants; used in many cosmetics, including lipstick; also in the manufacture of rubber, phonograph records, in waterproofing and writing inks; no known toxicity). Japan wax (Vegetable wax. Japan tallow. Fat from the fruit of a tree grown in Japan and China.).
* Benzoic Acid: In almost all vertebrates and in berries. Used as a preservative in mouthwashes, deodorants, creams, aftershave lotions, etc. Alternatives: cranberries, gum benzoin (tincture) from the aromatic balsamic resin from trees grown in China, Sumatra, Thailand, and Cambodia.
* Biotin. Vitamin H. Vitamin B Factor: In every living cell and in larger amounts in milk and yeast. Used as a texturizer in cosmetics, shampoos, and creams. Alternatives: plant sources.
* Bone Meal: Crushed or ground animal bones. In some fertilizers. In some vitamins and supplements as a source of calcium. In toothpastes. Alternatives: plant mulch, vegetable compost, dolomite, clay, vegetarian vitamins.
* Caprylic Acid: A liquid fatty acid from cow's or goat's milk. Also from palm and coconut oil, other plant oils. In perfumes, soaps. Derivatives: Caprylic Triglyceride, Caprylamine Oxide, Capryl Betaine. Alternatives: plant sources.
* Carmine. Cochineal. Carminic Acid: Red pigment from the crushed female cochineal insect. Reportedly 70,000 beetles must be killed to produce one pound of this red dye. Used in cosmetics, shampoos, red apple sauce, and other foods (including red lollipops and food coloring). May cause allergic reaction. Alternatives: beet juice (used in powders, rouges, shampoos; no known toxicity); alkanet root (from the root of this herblike tree; used as a red dye for inks, wines, lip balms, etc.; no known toxicity. Can also be combined to make a copper or blue coloring).
* Carotene. Provitamin A. Beta Carotene: A pigment found in many animal tissues and in all plants. Used as a coloring in cosmetics and in the manufacture of vitamin A.
* Casein. Caseinate. Sodium Caseinate: Milk protein. In "non-dairy" creamers, soy cheese, many cosmetics, hair preparations, beauty masks. Alternatives: soy protein, soy milk, and other vegetable milks.
* Castor. Castoreum: Creamy substance with strong odor from muskrat and beaver genitals. Used as a fixative in perfume and incense. Alternatives: synthetics, plant castor oil.
* Cetyl Alcohol: Wax found in spermaceti from sperm whales or dolphins. Alternatives: vegetable cetyl alcohol (e.g., coconut), synthetic spermaceti.
* Civet: Unctuous secretion painfully scraped from a gland very near the genital organs of civet cats. Used as a fixative in perfumes.
* Collagen: Fibrous protein in vertebrates. Usually derived from animal tissue. Can't affect the skin's own collagen. An allergen. Alternatives: soy protein, almond oil, amla oil (see alternative to Keratin).
* Colors. Dyes: Pigments from animal, plant, and synthetic sources used to color foods, cosmetics, and other products. Cochineal is from insects. Widely used FD&C and D&C colors are coal-tar (bituminous coal) derivatives that are continually tested on animals due to their carcinogenic properties. Alternatives: grapes, beets, turmeric, saffron, carrots, chlorophyll, annatto, alkanet.
* Cysteine, L-Form: An amino acid from hair which can come from animals. Used in hair-care products and creams, in some bakery products, and in wound-healing formulations. Alternatives: plant sources.
* Cystine: An amino acid found in urine and horsehair. Used as a nutritional supplement and in emollients. Alternatives: plant sources.
* Egg Protein: In shampoos, skin preparations, etc. Alternatives: plant proteins.
* Elastin: Protein found in the neck ligaments and aortas of cows. Similar to collagen. Can't affect the skin's own elasticity. Alternatives: synthetics, protein from plant tissues.
* Emu Oil: From flightless ratite birds native to Australia and now factory farmed. Used in cosmetics, creams. Alternatives: vegetable and plant oils.
* Estrogen. Estradiol: Female hormones from pregnant mareB9s urine. Considered a drug. Can have harmful systemic effects if used by children. Used for reproductive problems and in birth control pills and in Premarin, a menopausal drug. In creams, perfumes, and lotions. Has a negligible effect in the creams as a skin restorative; simple vegetable-source emollients are considered better. Alternatives: oral contraceptives and menopausal drugs based on synthetic steroids or phytoestrogens (from plants, especially palm-kernel oil). Menopausal symptoms can also be treated with diet and herbs.
* Fatty Acids: Can be one or any mixture of liquid and solid acids such as caprylic, lauric, myristic, oleic, palmitic, and stearic. Used in bubble baths, lipsticks, soap, detergents, cosmetics, food. Alternatives: vegetable-derived acids, soy lecithin, safflower oil, bitter almond oil, sunflower oil, etc.
* Fish Oil: Fish oil can also be from marine mammals. Used in soap-making.* Fish Scales: Used in shimmery makeup’s. Alternatives: mica, rayon, synthetic pearl.
* Gelatin. Gel: Protein obtained by boiling skin, tendons, ligaments, and/or bones with water. From cows and pigs. Used in shampoos, face masks, and other cosmetics.
* Glycerin. Glycerol: A byproduct of soap manufacture (normally uses animal fat). In cosmetics, foods, mouthwashes, chewing gum, toothpastes, soaps, ointments, medicines, lubricants, transmission and brake fluid, and plastics. Derivatives: Glycerides, Glyceryls, Glycreth-26, Polyglycerol. Alternatives: vegetable glycerin--a byproduct of vegetable oil soap.
* Guanine. Pearl Essence: Obtained from scales of fish. Constituent of ribonucleic acid and deoxyribonucleic acid and found in all animal and plant tissues. In shampoo, nail polish, other cosmetics. Alternatives: leguminous plants, synthetic pearl, or aluminum and bronze particles.
* Honey: Food for bees, made by bees. Can cause allergic reactions. Used as a coloring and an emollient in cosmetics and as a flavoring in foods. Should never be fed to infants. Alternatives: in foods--maple syrup, date sugar, syrups made from grains such as barley malt, turbinado sugar, molasses; in cosmetics--vegetable colors and oils.
* Hyaluronic Acid: A protein found in umbilical cords and the fluids around the joints. Used as a cosmetic oil. Alternatives: plant oils.
* Hydrolyzed Animal Protein: In cosmetics, especially shampoo and hair treatments. Alternatives: soy protein, other vegetable proteins, amla oil (see alternatives to Keratin).
* Keratin: Protein from the ground-up horns, hooves, feathers, quills, and hair of various animals. In hair rinses, shampoos, permanent wave solutions. Alternatives: almond oil, soy protein, amla oil (from the fruit of an Indian tree). Rosemary and nettle give body and strand strength to hair.
* Lactic Acid: Found in blood and muscle tissue. Also in sour milk, beer, sauerkraut, pickles, and other food products made by bacterial fermentation. Used in skin fresheners, as a preservative, in the formation of plasticizers, etc. Alternative: plant milk sugars, synthetics.
* Lactose: Milk sugar from milk of mammals. In eye lotions, foods, tablets, cosmetics, baked goods, medicines. Alternatives: plant milk sugars.
* Lanolin. Lanolin Acids. Wool Fat. Wool Wax: A product of the oil glands of sheep, extracted from their wool. Used as an emollient in many skin care products and cosmetics and in medicines. An allergen with no proven effectiveness. (See Wool for cruelty to sheep.) Derivatives: Aliphatic Alcohols, Cholesterin, Isopropyl Lanolate, Laneth, Lanogene, Lanolin Alcohols, Lanosterols, Sterols, Triterpene Alcohols. Alternatives: plant and vegetable oils.
* Lecithin. Choline Bitartrate: Waxy substance in nervous tissue of all living organisms. But, frequently obtained for commercial purposes from eggs and soybeans. Also from nerve tissue, blood, milk, corn. Choline bitartrate, the basic constituent of lecithin, is in many animal and plant tissues and prepared synthetically. Lecithin can be in eye creams, lipsticks, liquid powders, hand creams, lotions, soaps, shampoos, other cosmetics, and some medicines. Alternatives: soybean lecithin, synthetics.
* Linoleic Acid: An essential fatty acid. Used in cosmetics, vitamins. (See alternatives to Fatty Acids.)
* Lipoids. Lipids: Fat and fat-like substances that are found in animals and plants. Alternatives: vegetable oils.
* Marine Oil: From fish or marine mammals (including porpoises). Used in soap-making. Used as a shortening (especially in some margarines), as a lubricant, and in paint. Alternatives: vegetable oils.
* Milk Protein: Hydrolyzed milk protein. From the milk of cows. In cosmetics, shampoos, moisturizers, conditioners, etc. Alternatives: soy protein, other plant proteins.
* Mink Oil: From minks. In cosmetics, creams, etc. Alternatives: vegetable oils and emollients such as avocado oil, almond oil, and jojoba oil.
* Musk (Oil): Dried secretion painfully obtained from musk deer, beaver, muskrat, civet cat, and otter genitals. Wild cats are kept captive in cages in horrible conditions and are whipped around the genitals to produce the scent; beavers are trapped; deer are shot. In perfumes and in food flavorings. Alternatives: labdanum oil (which comes from various rockrose shrubs) and other plants with a musky scent. Labdanum oil has no known toxicity.
* Myristic Acid: Organic acid in most animal and vegetable fats. In butter acids. Used in shampoos, creams, cosmetics. In food flavorings. Derivatives: Isopropyl Myristate, Myristal Ether Sulfate, Myristyls, Oleyl Myristate. Alternatives: nut butters, oil of lovage, coconut oil, extract from seed kernels of nutmeg, etc.
* Nucleic Acids: In the nucleus of all living cells. Used in cosmetics, shampoos, conditioners, etc. Also in vitamins, supplements. Alternatives: plant sources.
* Oleic Acid: Obtained from various animal and vegetable fats and oils. Usually obtained commercially from inedible tallow. (See Tallow.) In foods, soft soap, bar soap, permanent wave solutions, creams, nail polish, lipsticks, many other skin preparations. Derivatives: Oleyl Oleate, Oleyl Stearate. Alternatives: coconut oil.
* Oleyl Alcohol. Ocenol: Found in fish oils. Used in the manufacture of detergents, as a plasticizer for softening fabrics, and as a carrier for medications. Derivatives: Oleths, Oleyl Arachidate, Oleyl Imidazoline.
* Palmitic Acid: From fats, oils (see Fatty Acids). Mixed with stearic acid. Found in many animal fats and plant oils. In shampoos, shaving soaps, creams. Derivatives: Palmitate, Palmitamine, Palmitamide. Alternatives: palm oil, vegetable sources.
* Panthenol. Dexpanthenol. Vitamin B-Complex Factor. Provitamin B-5: Can come from animal or plant sources or synthetics. In shampoos, supplements, emollients, etc. In foods. Derivative: Panthenyl. Alternatives: synthetics, plants.
* Placenta. Placenta Polypeptides Protein. Afterbirth: Contains waste matter eliminated by the fetus. Derived from the uterus of slaughtered animals. Animal placenta is widely used in skin creams, shampoos, masks, etc. Alternatives: kelp. (See alternatives for Animal Fats and Oils.)
* Polypeptides: From animal protein. Used in cosmetics. Alternatives: plant proteins and enzymes.
* Polysorbates: Derivatives of fatty acids. In cosmetics, foods.
* Progesterone: A steroid hormone used in anti-wrinkle face creams. Can have adverse systemic effects. Alternatives: synthetics.
* Propolis: Tree sap gathered by bees and used as a sealant in beehives. In toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, supplements, etc. Alternatives: tree sap, synthetics.
* RNA. Ribonucleic Acid: RNA is in all living cells. Used in many protein shampoos and cosmetics. Alternatives: plant cells. * Royal Jelly: Secretion from the throat glands of the honeybee workers that is fed to the larvae in a colony and to all queen larvae. No proven value in cosmetics preparations. Alternatives: aloe vera, comfrey, other plant derivatives.
* Sable Brushes: From the fur of sables (weasel-like mammals). Used to make eye makeup, lipstick, and artists' brushes. Alternatives: synthetic fibers.
* Shark Liver Oil: Used in lubricating creams and lotions. Derivatives: Squalane, Squalene. Alternatives: vegetable oils.
* Shellac. Resinous Glaze: Resinous excretion of certain insects. Used as a candy glaze, in hair lacquer, and on jewelry. Alternatives: plant waxes.
* Silk & Silk Powder: Silk is the shiny fiber made by silkworms to form their cocoons. Worms are boiled in their cocoons to get the silk. Used in cloth. In silk-screening (other fine cloth can be and is used instead). Taffeta can be made from silk or nylon. Silk powder is obtained from the secretion of the silkworm. It is used as a coloring agent in face powders, soaps, etc. Can cause severe allergic skin reactions and systemic reactions (if inhaled or ingested). Alternatives: milkweed seed-pod fibers, nylon, silk-cotton tree and ceiba tree filaments (kapok), rayon, and synthetic silks.
* Spermaceti. Cetyl Palmitate. Sperm Oil: Waxy oil derived from the sperm whale's head or from dolphins. In many margarines. In skin creams, ointments, shampoos, candles, etc. Used in the leather industry. May become rancid and cause irritations. Alternatives: synthetic spermaceti, jojoba oil, and other vegetable emollients.
* Sponge (Luna and Sea): A plant-like animal. Lives in the sea. Becoming scarce. Alternatives: synthetic sponges, loofahs (plants used as sponges).
* Squalene: Oil from shark livers, etc. In cosmetics, moisturizers, hair dyes, surface-active agents. Alternatives: vegetable emollients such as olive oil, wheat germ oil, rice bran oil, etc.
* Stearic Acid: Fat from cows and sheep and from dogs and cats euthanized in animal shelters, etc. Most often refers to a fatty substance taken from the stomachs of pigs. Can be harsh, irritating. Used in cosmetics, soaps, lubricants, candles, hairspray, conditioners, deodorants, creams, chewing gum, food flavoring. Derivatives: Stearamide, Stearamine, Stearates, Stearic Hydrazide, Stearone, Stearoxytrimethylsilane, Stearoyl Lactylic Acid, Stearyl Betaine, Stearyl Imidazoline. Alternatives: Stearic acid can be found in many vegetable fats, coconut.
* Stearyl Alcohol. Sterols: A mixture of solid alcohols. Can be prepared from sperm whale oil. In medicines, creams, rinses, shampoos, etc. Derivatives: Stearamine Oxide, Stearyl Acetate, Stearyl Caprylate, Stearyl Citrate, Stearyldimethyl Amine, Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate, Stearyl Heptanoate, Stearyl Octanoate, Stearyl Stearate. Alternatives: plant sources, vegetable stearic acid.
* Steroids. Sterols: From various animal glands or from plant tissues. Steroids include sterols. Sterols are alcohol from animals or plants (e.g., cholesterol). Used in hormone preparation. In creams, lotions, hair conditioners, fragrances, etc. Alternatives: plant tissues, synthetics.
* Tallow. Tallow Fatty Alcohol. Stearic Acid: Rendered beef fat. May cause eczema and blackheads. In wax paper, crayons, margarines, paints, rubber, lubricants, etc. In candles, soaps, lipsticks, shaving creams, other cosmetics. Chemicals (e.g., PCB) can be in animal tallow. Derivatives: Sodium Tallowate, Tallow Acid, Tallow Amide, Tallow Amine, Talloweth-6, Tallow Glycerides, Tallow Imidazoline. Alternatives: vegetable tallow, Japan tallow, paraffin and/or ceresin (see alternatives for Beeswax for all three). Paraffin is usually from petroleum, wood, coal, or shale oil.
* Turtle Oil. Sea Turtle Oil: From the muscles and genitals of giant sea turtles. In soap, skin creams, nail creams, other cosmetics. Alternatives: vegetable emollients.
* Tyrosine: Amino acid hydrolyzed from casein. Used in cosmetics and creams. Derivative: Glucose Tyrosinase.
* Urea. Carbamide: Excreted from urine and other bodily fluids. In deodorants, ammoniated dentifrices, mouthwashes, hair colorings, hand creams, lotions, shampoos, etc. Used to "brown" baked goods, such as pretzels. Derivatives: Imidazolidinyl Urea, Uric Acid. Alternatives: synthetics.
* Wax: Glossy, hard substance that is soft when hot. From animals and plants. In lipsticks, depilatories, hair straighteners. Alternatives: vegetable waxes.
(Source: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)
A view on how to create healthy business dynamics.
What is Eco-dynamics? Eco-dynamics™ is the recognition and balancing of opposing forces. Forces between market and industry interests that have the potential to clash - as in eco and ego. Another way it might be seen is as the struggle between ecology and economy, or business interests.
The successful combining of these interests could also be considered business reciprocity, which brings no harm to anyone/anything connected to the process, and would include responsible manufacturing right through to responsible marketing practices that create longterm, sustainable profitability.
We believe that these forces can combine to be one and the same.
This is also known as an eco-consumer model - standards that not only are expected to be found professed in a company's claims, that they are marketing responsible or green products/services, but also must be truthfully found in a company's daily practises. That these unseen Eco-dynamic™ principles are also infused into their manufacturing process, and not just marketed as such, but by the actual implementation of these Eco-dynamic™ methodologies right in behind the scenes and right into the very product/marketing itself.
Only this accountable approach can stop the current decimating industrial carnage of the Earth's resources, destruction and poisoning of our environment, it can also bring real, beneficial change and this approach can sustain this type of benefit to all, while maintaining unadulterated profits. It has been and is being done very successfully by some dedicated and insightful companies.
Businesses that take the real overall cost of profitability versus the short sighted stance about just the price having to be low not only can operate efficiently and profitably but also will also solidify their place in the business world because they will also not only be able to survive, they will also prosper.
Based on the Eco-dynamic™ model, through ingenuity, creativity and determination, new pathways will continually emerge to enable the delivery of quality organic and sustainable (non-damaging) products/services. Today consumers are redefining the way business and industry must cope with the market forces and demands of today's concerned and intelligent consumers. In Canada and the USA it is estimated that the size of this eco-consumer market is $219,000,000,000.00, or $219-billion.
In this light then, fore-thought can culminate in solutions that respect both these forces or ideologies. Providing then for simple, quality product choices - as increasingly being sought by today`s consumer. We supply our organic and natural products in a fashion that can satisfy both ego and eco-standards:
- We believe in top quality of use, by soothing and satisfying the important Ego first. That means our soaps, shampoos, cosmetics and lotions must be the very best products you have ever, taken home, and used, they must please you! - our testimonials certainly reflect the quality that folks experience with our organic products...which we do back with a 100% money-back, full satisfaction guarantee!
- We also believe that by satisfying Eco - in respecting of Nature and our Earth during our production and processing - that our products will actually result in better quality any-how. That also means NO harmful pesticides, residues or normal array of synthetic chemicals easily found in our competitor's brands.
Ego + Eco = profitable sustainability, for us another way to view this is - as having the good fortune to experience a proud, respectul lifestyle that can maintain a family's living expenses.
Eco-dynamics™ is the synergism of; balancing seemingly opposing energies or principles.
- Ecology(environment) in balance with Economy(business practises) - Eco in balance with Ego (yin/yang), - so that both sides may contribute beneficially to a profitable and sustainable business whole. Nature can teach us to respect profitability through her own cycles of bounty and abundance.
When combined synergistically the surrounding effect becomes exponential in its impact.
* Ego + Eco = a sum/whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.
We trademarked Eco-dynamic™ to create a recognizable ideology of sustainable forethought, and a branding beacon for our eco-consumer. We implement Eco-dynamics™ through combining integrity with ingenuity to crystallize the reward that bountiful stewardship brings by fulfilling eco-product sales and services for the demanding and sharply growing new eco-consumer markets...
...our customers tell us, once they have used our products, that they can no longer go back to other mediocre, ineffective products. We will continue to be committed to manufacturing the type of quality products that appeal to your ego and as well as to the ecological balance.
Many of our customers say they use our organic products because they feel that we make the best skin care product that they can find. Though, many also tell us that they enjoy the products because there are other qualities that they feel deeply satisfy something in them...we invite you to this experience...
If One is able to have a firm stand on anything, perhaps, it could just be on this Earth. The Earth we share. Taking a stand on living in balance, concern and peace with all living things.
One can firmly and quietly stand up for such things, such ideas. We stand on this living, breathing rock as She holds us up and supports us every day. Even in our eco blindness we are still One and same with this beautiful being Gaia - the Earth. We breathe Her life, her breath and beauty - she sustains us unselfishly and with relentless forgiveness, moment to moment.
The Australian aboriginees believe that rocks are alive and hold memories, and that we are only reflections of our vibrations - do not be afraid to remember the magnificence that you are, everyday.
We may not really have a political stance after all... since when did religions forget the first religion was the Earth ?... aren't all churches built upon the one great, natural 'Church of Earth'?... and what does politics, which is based upon one party's interests dominating over another, have to do with a species (humanity) living together on this one planet, don't we all have a common interest ? Out of our common interest can we not achieve common sense?
I am not sure if a bear, a honey bee, a sunflower, a child or an acorn needs opinions or any politics. Though, I am sure that they need my consideration, kindness, and possibly, protection.
I dare say, that one day the true will of all creatures great and small will become evident in the way that we choose to live as One - in harmony with ourselves and all creatures here - a business can also successfully be part of the change for humanity's future.
My beliefs come from the simple observation of Nature, from living in the forest. To live and to observe these gifts - they are us, as ALL of us are the air we breathe, the sky, the soils, waters.
This Earth, even as we collectively damage the environment, our Earth still regrows and becomes green again every Spring, bears fruit every harvest season, and allows rain to fall upon our closed eyes, so that we may gently open our eyes to all of Nature`s wonders.
It is not the Earth that needs saving, if humanity does not rise above our ignorance to do better, then we as a species will die... the Earth will go on anyway, without us.
I have no politics of which I can speak. Trying to make change with empty words would only be as effective as a roofing tile in a hurricane. Empty words with no decisive action would dishonour, not only my great grand-parents, but also the future of my children and also those that are still to come to this life on Earth.
√ I choose to live my beliefs as a prayer in motion, as solid action in my daily work, which now seems more like play, or even a dream!
√ these are really the decisive moments of my life, moments that I hope you may hear or feel when you pick up one of our organic products.
Eco-blessings
- Joseph Borkovic, April 2003
Organic Trader™ Canada, it is also 30+ years of business experience; coaching available through tutorials focusing on your business needs, and answering your specific business questions, as well as through the informational website radical green.