Demystifying Sustainable Product Certifications - Part 3

This post is part of a series on Demystifying Sustainable Product Certifications, where I share my research into the most common certifications found on grocery products in New Zealand. Previously I explained what the Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance logos mean, and looked into New Zealand's most common organic certifications. This time I'll clarify what the carboNZero and Environmental Choice certifications tell you.

carboNZero is an internationally accredited greenhouse gas certification programme run by Landcare Research (a research institute owned by the New Zealand government). Members of the certification scheme must reduce the carbon emissions associated with creating the product, and offset the remaining emissions by purchasing carbon credits. The carbon credits for the carboNZero scheme come from New Zealand wind farm, landfill gas capture and native forest regeneration projects. You can find this certification on several brands of New Zealand wine, and a selection of other non-grocery products.

Environmental Choice New Zealand is owned by the government, but operates independently. You may have seen the certification logo on cleaning products or toilet paper. Environmental Choice certification is product specific - there is a unique set of specifications for each type of product Environmental Choice certifies. According to the website, the Environmental Choice certification symbolises that a product is less harmful to the environment than comparable products because it meets "environmental leadership specifications". The product specifications are available on the website if you are interested in what the label means in relation to a particular type of product. 

The next post in this series investigates some niche certifications.

Demystifying Sustainable Product Certifications - Part 2

This post is part of a series on Demystifying Sustainable Product Certifications, where I share my research into the most common certifications found on grocery products in New Zealand. Previously I explained what the Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance logos mean. Today I'll look at New Zealand's most common organic certifications.


For starters, what exactly does "organic" mean? There are loads of definitions out there, but this one from the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements seems to capture the essence:

Organic agriculture is a production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people. It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects. Organic agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved.

So that you know a product claiming to be organic has really been produced in accordance with organic production standards, there are organisations around the world that inspect and audit producers, and certify those who meet the strict standards for organic certification. There are two major organic certifications seen on New Zealand grocery products.

AsureQuality is a company 100% owned by the New Zealand government. It provides a number of food safety and biosecurity services, including organic certification. In the AsureQuality Organic Standard, "organic" is defined as "a labelling term that denotes products that have been produced in accordance with organic production Standards". Once a producer is certified organic by AsureQuality, compliance is audited every year.  A product displaying the AsureQuality Organic Standard meets these conditions:

• Has been produced using only the permitted substances listed in the Standard.
• Ingredients, additives or processing aids derived from GMOs have not been used in production.
• Soil fertility and pest control have been achieved using biological or physical methods where possible (rather than adding chemicals to the production process). 
• Has not been treated with ionising radiation.
• In the case of livestock, they have been raised with natural feed (organic where available), sufficient space, and sanitary conditions. Poultry, pigs and rabbits must not be kept in cages.
• Has been produced without forced labour or child labour, and the producer has a non-discriminatory employment policy and allows employees to bargain collectively.
• Has been produced, packaged and transported in a way that prevents contamination with non-organic material.
• Is packaged in a way that avoids unnecessary packaging materials, and in reusable, recycled, recyclable and biodegradable packaging whenever possible.

A certified organic product may contain less than five percent of ingredients that are not organically derived if certain conditions are met.

BioGro is a not-for-profit organic producer and consumer organisation. The BioGro NZ Organic Standards have been developed especially for New Zealand producers. BioGro is accredited by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements. Products carrying the BioGro certification have undergone a three-year certification process. Products undergoing the certification process will display a BioGro "In Conversion" label. BioGro Organic certification requires producers to meet similar standards to the AsureQuality Organic Standard. The conditions that the producer must meet include:

• Having a sustainable environmental management strategy, which covers practices that maintain or enhance the quality of the air, water and soil and enhance biodiversity.
• Maintaining cultural values associated with land and water.
• Providing habitats in which livestock can be raised in comfort and with minimal stress. This includes allowing natural grazing, complying with specified stocking densities, providing adequate shade and shelter and ensuring access to adequate fresh water. Transport and slaughter must minimise any pain and distress to livestock.
• Reducing waste through reducing, reusing, recycling and energy conservation.
• No use of genetic engineering or GMOs.
• Production without involuntary labour, and the producer has a non-discriminatory employment policy and allows employees to bargain collectively. Any children employed by the producer must be provided with educational opportunities.
• Contamination with non-organic material has been avoided at every stage of the production process.

Coming up next in the Demystifying Sustainable Product Certifications series: carboNZero and Environmental Choice certifications.

Demystifying Sustainable Product Certifications - Part 1

Do you know what the certifications on the grocery products you buy actually mean? It seems that there's an ever-increasing variety of certification labels adorning items in our supermarkets and competing for our attention. How are we supposed to choose between products that make competing claims about their ethical and/or environmental kudos? Is there a gold standard, and if not, which is the best kind of certification to choose for key products? I've researched these questions, so that when I'm in the chaos of the supermarket I can make the best choices. I'll share the fruits of my research into the most common certification logos in New Zealand as a series of posts, starting with this one on Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance.

You're most likely to see the Fairtrade logo on coffee, chocolate, tea, spices, sugar and now bananas. According to the Fairtrade Association of Australia and New Zealand, more than five million people benefit from the Fairtrade scheme. Fairtrade provides producers with a fixed, fair minimum price for their produce, which covers the cost of sustainable production. Fairtrade producer organisations also get paid a premium on top of the minimum price to invest in social, economic and environmental development in their community. To qualify for Fairtrade certification, producers must meet set standards, which cover:

• chemical use on crops; 
• labour conditions: non-discrimination, freedom of association, collective bargaining, minimum wage and health and safety requirements; and 
• how producer organisations must make decisions on how to spend the Fairtrade premium.

The Rainforest Alliance certifies operations meeting its set of standards, which focus on the environmental impacts of agricultural activities, such as decreasing contamination of waterways, decreasing erosion, controls on the use of agrochemicals, waste control and water conservation. Farms must also meet labour standards such as paying workers at least the local minimum legal wage, having a non-discriminatory hiring policy and providing sanitary facilities for workers. Unlike Fairtrade, there is no minimum price guarantee for Rainforest Alliance producers. The Rainforest Alliance certification logo is found most prominently in New Zealand on McDonald's McCafe coffee. A considerable proportion of New Zealand's forests are now certified under the Rainforest Alliance's Smartwood program. The Body Shop uses Rainforest Alliance certified palm oil in its soaps.

Next up, a look New Zealand's most prominent organic certifications. Also coming up, a deeper delve into the relative merits of the most common coffee certifications.

Bin Inn: dark horse of law carbon grocery shopping

On a recent trip out of Auckland I was susprised to find that Bin Inn still exists. I'm not sure why, but I've always had a thing for bulk bins. Maybe it's the ability to control the exact amount of product I buy that delights my perfectionist tendencies. Or maybe it's just the ability to see the product in its naked form, free from any packaging. Anyway, I had to investigate. The place is still a treasure trove. From hokey pokey muffin mix to exotic varieties of rice, my domestic goddess fantasies kicked into overdrive. And that was just the Thames branch. The also stock Ecostore products like dishwashing liquid and washing powder in bulk.

Bin Inn has yet to take full advantage of the potential eco-cred that comes with the ability to bring in your own reusable containers when you shop. According to their website, their philosophy is about paying for product, not packaging. The ability to control the quantities you buy means you are likely to waste less too. Goodbye excessive packaging, hello reusable containers and anal-retentive quantity control.

So why hasn't Bin Inn jumped on the eco-band wagon? Well, actually they have. They just haven't done a good job of letting us consumers know about it. Their website has a page about their environmental initiatives and why it is sustainable to shop there. Apparently they sponsored a couple's challenge to live a "waste free year". I reckon if Bin Inn undertook a publicity campaign based on their sustainable shopping philosophy, they could reinstate themselves into the public consciousness and dramatically increase their customer base. If only there was a store in Central Auckland...