New Formulations: The Certified Sustainable Seal
Do you know where the ingredients in your formula are from? If not, try tracing them back to their roots.
Tons of medicinal and aromatic plants are packed, dried, and shipped out of Nepal every year, to be used in cosmetic and personal careproducts. According to Ann Koontz, a representative of the Federation of Community Forest User Groups, Nepal, a plant could be overharvested and put in danger of extinction. “Just because it’s a plant, people assume it will always grow back,” she says. “Natural products are in danger unless sustainability issues are taken seriously.”
At the Natural Products Expo in Anaheim, California, last March, the first certified sustainable non-timber forest products from Nepal were shown. They included essential oils and handmade paper. They were harvested using methods that protect forests.
The certified sustainable essential oils and handmade paper are obtained with the help of the Federation of Community Forest User Groups Nepal. This is a program that allows community groups to manage forests in remote areas. The durable handmade paper is from the bark of a shrub called Lokta. It has been around since the 12th century. It is used for official documents of the Nepali government. “The benefits of using this type of paper as a packaging material are not widely recognized,” says Koontz. “If a product contains certified sustainable ingredients, using this natural-looking paper as part of the packaging could help convey that message.”
The strict, internationally recognized certification standards for raw materials are set by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). If a reputable supplier harvests plants in a sustainable way, it could obtain certification. The FSC Certified Sustainable seal is not yet widely recognized in the natural products industry. It is, however, in the wood products industry, largely due to promotion efforts of companies such as Ikea and The Home Depot.
In order to promote the use of certified sustainable products in the cosmetics and personal care industries, Aveda Corp. and the Rainforest Alliance, an international conservation organization, have become involved. They are members of the Nepal Non-Timber Forest Products Promotion Alliance, which is an international conservation organization leading this movement.
"The industry needs to be more aware that they need to start asking questions about where the ingredients are coming from,” says Koontz. “Demanding only certified sustainable products will encourage more raw material suppliers to become certified.”
Certification would allow every product to be traced back to its roots. For example, if a product contains an essential oil, you should be able to trace back to all of the companies that were involved in obtaining the plant from which it was extracted, right down to what forest it was grown in.
Walter Smith, senior forester at the Rainforest Alliance, adds, “Our efforts provide western markets with the assurance that the productsthey are buying are obtained legally and in sustainable ways.” Knowing the exact origin of the ingredients used in your formulations will also help to ensure higher standards of quality..