Updated label criteria to the NATRUE standard (V3.9)
Published on January 15, 2021
An overarching goal in the strategy of the NATRUE is sustainability with the focus from our board to establish work packages covering the three pillars of sustainability: 1. Setup packaging group (internal and external experts); 2. Draft Charter of Values covering aspects such as (but not limited to): environmental sustainability, waste, green chemistry, social sustainability, sourcing, best practices relevancy benchmark and distinguish the natural and organic cosmetics sector and inspiration for others in the cosmetic industry; 3. Develop and integrate new sustainability focused criteria into the standard. In the final goal the label criteria in the update to the NATRUE standard, introduced measures to ensure ethical, responsible and sustainable sourcing of natural raw materials; in this case palm (kernel) oil and its derivatives. A packaging group was established to work on packaging and packaging waste. The short term goal of the group would be to update NATRUE's current packaging criteria that are currently present in the NATRUE Standard. NATRUE's current packaging requirements as stated in the Standard are mostly in the form of recommendations and would need to be updated as more hard criteria but would at the same time need to be verifiable by NATRUE approved certifiers that are responsible for checking the compliance of the products with the NATRUE Standard. Long term goal of the group is to support the NATRUE members with all kind of packaging information, give advice and actively work on renewable packaging materials. NATRUE has also drafted a best-practice Charter of Values in conjunction with its membership
We anticipate that the introduction of this criteria, which compliments the existing standard for natural and organic cosmetics, will help to internationally promote responsible and certified sustainable sourcing of raw materials. This starts with palm (kernel) oil and its derivatives as a mandatory requirement within the standard thereby harmonizing the implementation of this criteria for all voluntary applicants who use the NATRUE label. The NATRUE label includes the largest producers of certified natural and organic cosmetics (e.g. our members https://www.natrue.org/our-members/) who have all committed themselves to this criteria. The criteria also means that raw material suppliers wishing to provide products to NATRUE label users can only do so if certified sustainable palm (kernel) oil and its derivatives are used. A new raw material scheme also means that raw materials have to be approved or certified by NATRUE approved control bodies before they can be used in finished products. This pre-approval of raw materials means that upstream of finished product manufacturers, if raw material suppliers want to have their product used by producers and use the high benchmark of the NATRUE label for natural or organic qualities they also need to ensure responsible, ethical and sustainable sourcing. In conjunction with, NATRUE has become an affiliate member of RSPO, established a packaging group, drafted a sustainability Charter of Values with its members, and introduced reference to six of the seventeen UN SDGs into V3.9 of its standard (https://www.natrue.org/uploads/2021/01/EN-NATRUE-Label_criteria_v3.9_January-2021.pdf).
