Diane MacEachern - Greener World Media, PlanetArk 24 Mar 10;
The Natural Products Expo West concluded last weekend in Anaheim, Calif., and once again many businesses were able to celebrate what they learned a long time ago: That they can make a fortune by marketing almost anything as "natural." Crayola-colored gummy worms? Lipstick laden with lead? Detergents and soaps that contain questionnable phthalates? Yes, these are all being sold as "natural" - even though they resemble nothing Mother Nature ever made.
How do goods like these slide by as "natural?" It's simple: There "ain't no law against it," as one of the Little Rascals might say. The term "organic" is strictly defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture; its use is policed by both the federal government and consumer groups. But not so the word "natural." That's why I and many other consumer advocates encourage shoppers to ignore it when they shop. There's no way to know what it really means.
The Natural Products Association (NPA) wants to draw a line in the sand before consumers get wise or the government steps in. The group, which represents more than 10,000 retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors of natural foods, dietary supplements, and health/beauty aids, has issued a Natural Products Association Standard and Certification for Home Care Products like household cleaners, laundry detergents, and concentrated and ready-to-use cleaners. Only products certified under the standard can bear the NPA natural home care seal, which is supposed to signal to consumers that the product can be trusted.
Can it? Or is the standard just a clever attempt by companies that manufacture harsh and toxic ingredients to greenwash their products per usual and cash in on the "natural" craze?
What's Wrong with 'Natural'
Cara Welch, a Ph.D. scientist who coordinates NPA's department of Science and Regulatory Affairs, said the standard was borne out of "genuine concern by traditional natural-based businesses that the word "natural" had lost its meaning."
As more and more mainstream companies have begun using "natural" to describe their products, Welch said NPA "wanted to challenge every company to keep all ingredients as close to nature as possible." In other words, NPA wanted to set a meaningful bar that was higher than what many companies might set for themselves while helping consumers make the right choice when they shop.
And the certification is a step in the right direction -- products certified by the NPA can contain no parabens, phthalates, petrochemical ingredients or formaldehyde.
They must also be free of synthetic fragrances and colors, although they may still contain anti-bacterials like triclosan, which has been linked to antibiotic resistance in people and deformities in frogs and other wildlife.
They may not contain more than 5 percent synthetic ingredients and those ingredients may not be toxic to human health according to information checked against data bases maintained by the National Institutes of Health and Environmental Working Group, among others.
They may not be processed using harsh ingredients and may not generate harsh by-products (though the word "harsh" is somewhat ambiguous).
This is all well and good. But is it enough? Not even close, for the following reasons.
The standard is not mandatory. Only companies who want to get certified will. There's still nothing to prevent those that don't from continuing to use -- and abuse -- the word "natural."
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The standard does not reflect the product's entire life cycle, which includes the environmental and human health impacts of manufacturing, energy use, waste, and disposal in addition to ingredients. Furthermore, standards that focus on single attributes create a false sense of well-being about the entire product. Besides, given how much we know about resource depletion, water scarcity, climate change and packaging impact, how genuine is it to promote a standard that only focuses on ingredients?
The standard has been developed by those who have the most to gain from it financially -- the manufacturers and retailers of "natural" consumer products. There was little or no input from independent third parties, whether consumers or scientists not paid by NPA or its members. Is this a case of the fox guarding the henhouse? Lack of consumer representation is a growing concern as more and more industry standards abound; businesses should take a look at the opinions posted by the members of the Green Moms Carnival if they have any doubts that they ignore consumer input at their own peril.
It's almost impossible to understand the NPA's criteria for deciding what ingredients are natural or a non-toxic, permissible synthetic. An orange, consumers get. The tocopherol that's a derivative of Vitamin E? What the heck is that? If NPA is going to list ingredients, it should explain what they actually are.
How to Fix the 'Natural' Label
NPA's Welch said that the standard is "a work in progress that will get stronger over time." But why wait to adopt several changes that would immediately address consumers' concerns while strengthening the standard?
Invite consumers and independent scientists to participate in the process, not just the retailers and manufacturers who have so much to gain financially from legitimizing their use of the word natural.
Make it mandatory. Of course, this would mean that the federal government or enough state governments would have to step in to legally define what natural means. But until they do, marketers will continue to greenwash their products using the word natural, whether they're NPA-certified or not.
Make it popular. Until NPA issued this standard for natural home care products, I had no idea the association had previously issued similar criteria for personal care products. NPA and its certified partners need to use public media and social networks to make sure consumers know what to look for when they shop.
Get rid of antibacterials. Most doctors agree that plain soap and hot water are the most effective way to kill household germs. Leave it at that.
Expand the standard so that it includes the life cycle of the entire product. NPA should take its cues from the Sustainability Consortium and extend its standard beyond ingredients to include materials, manufacturing, transportation, and disposal impacts.
Taking these steps can only benefit natural products vendors like those who will be gathered in Anaheim. A 2009 poll showed that 64 percent of consumers surveyed doubt claims that products are "green" or "sustainable" and perceive the businesses making those claims as unauthentic. "Natural" is fated for the same disregard unless the standards that define it become more rigorous.
