What You Need
to Know About Organic Products
In recent years everyone converses
upon the usage of organic products as well as the consumption of organic fruits
and vegetables. More merchandizers have also advertised rapaciously about
how organic and natural their products are. What does organic really
mean? Why do so many products claim themselves to be natural? Let us simply
understand this concept more.
What is organic?
In simple terms, ‘organic’ refers to a specific cultivating and
manufacturing process. By definition, under such horticulture conditions,
farmers are not allowed to apply any synthetic chemicals, such as pesticides,
chemical fertilizers, antibiotics, etc. Organic products indicate that during
every step of their production process, including the plantation and
application of raw materials, manufacturing, packaging, etc, the outcomes
should not be harmful to the human body nor cause permanent damages to the
environment and ecology. For any brand to obtain such official certifications, strict
examinations and high transparency with various institutions are necessary and
expensive, therefore, many manufacturers and producers are reluctant with such
claims.
The criteria required by different countries or institutions vary,
for example Europe’s ECOCERT demands the ingredients to be
at least 95% natural and 10% organic while France’s AGRICULTURE
BIOLOGIQUE insists the ingredients to be at least 95% organic. Other
institutions are Australia’s ACO and USA’s USDA.
Natural=Safe?
Many products in Hong Kong claim their products are “purely
natural”, but is “natural” guaranteed good and healthy?
Apart from ‘natural’, other declarations such as ‘no chemicals’, “harmless’ etc have similar connotations. In general, such claims cannot 100% guarantee that the products are beneficial to the consumers so it is best and safest for consumers to select brands with certifications of international recognition.
As Hong Kong doesn't have a strict regulated legal requirement of
such connotations, products claiming to be natural or organic may include very
little of such ingredients. Some merchandizers may even use such wordings as
selling points to attract buyers amid the small quantity of natural
ingredients, thus, it is best to observe the list of chemical names of the
constituents and review the possible negative effects they may have on your
body.
The
choice of organic?
In the past, a consumer’s choice of products is often related to
the product’s effect and price. However, such practice has changed over time.
Nowadays, consumers focus more on the long-term impact of the products and for
this reason the trend of organic consumption has become very popular.
But why isn’t organic consumption a key trend yet? We believe in
the following…
Efficacy
Majority of consumers expect quick results once they have used the
products and most existing products also emphasize such concepts eg one spray
for immediate result or recover youth in just a week etc to attract the
attention of the consumers. The constitutes of the natural and/or organic
products are often milder in effect and would normally require a much longer
time for the results to appear.
Price
Take shampoo as an example. A bottle of shampoo may cost around
50-60 dollars for a household, however, for the same size yet made in Europe
with organic ingredients, the price may be around 300-400 dollars. For such
reason, many consumers may not be willing to explore further.
However, consumers should employ a long-term vision when applying
organic products. When we implement any type of products, especially for our
skin, we absorb all ingredients into our body, which will have a direct
long-term impact to our health e.g. damage our skin or cause irritation. For
safety and best effect reasons plus the avoidance of any side effects in the
future, it is always crucial that we select organic products.
Beyond
organic? Sustainability!
Although “all organic” may be beyond reach at the moment,
shouldn’t consumers have other considerations when they purchase any goods on a
daily basis for the sake of our world, e.g. the sustainability of product and
consumption development? In simple terms, we mean “energy saving, retaining,
frugal”. From the principle of our own needs, we should always select what are
most cost saving and environmental friendly such as bringing our own shopping
bags and choosing the best energy and environmental labeling appliances
etc.
For the sake of the next generations, thorough considerations
should originate from the level of the production cycle and the impacts, which
are generated from each stakeholder. For example during manufacturing, from
ingredients to packaging, what would be the stresses? Is pollution at the
minimal during the production process? Are material usage minimized for
packaging purposes? Have the manufacturers thought of social liabilities? The
potential long-term causes of all such should be in the consideration of all
consumers.
Some of the existing available environmental labels have already
taken such concerns into their consideration and hold such values as their core
criteria. An example includes the Nordic Swan Label. The Nordic
countries are some of the most environmental friendly regimes in the world.
Consumers of these countries focus highly on the product impacts, ensuring
their lack of harmful substances to both the human body as well as the
environment. Subsequently, everyone, including pregnant women, children and
people with skin allergy, can safely use the products. Hence, it is necessary
for us to understand more about such labels in order to select the most
suitable and healthiest products.
In conclusion, the good news is that Hong Kong has accepted the
use of real natural and organic products. As smart consumers, we need to spend
wisely. Upon the purchase of the products, an analysis of the list of
ingredients is compulsory. Pay attention to the actual percentage of the
organic ingredients and the criteria of the environmental labels. Don’t get
deceived. Josephine Fairley, the beauty expert, once said : “Why feed your skin
with ingredients, which you cannot eat?” Let’s act smartly and select wisely.
Use quality products and lead a healthy path.
More
Information: https://www.clavis.com.hk/collections/organic-natural-hair-products
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