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'Natural' (NOT a certification)
Worldwide · Tier 4 Marketing
Nordic Swan Ecolabel logo
Nordic Swan Ecolabel
Nordic Countries · Tier 3 Specialty
Bio-Siegel (Germany) logo
Bio-Siegel (Germany)
Germany · Tier 1 Gold
What it meansThe word 'natural' on packaging is a marketing term, not a certification. In most jurisdictions there's no legal definition, no standard, and no inspection. A product labelled 'natural' can contain synthetic ingredients, pesticides, GMOs, and artificial flavours.The official environmental label of the Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland). Covers ~60 product categories from cleaning products to hotels — NOT specifically an organic standard.Germany's national organic mark, owned by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture. Sits alongside the EU Leaf on most German organic packaging since 2001. Same standard as the EU Leaf — Bio-Siegel is the brand consumers recognise.
ScopeSeveral categoriesSeveral categoriesFood
Established—19892001
InspectionNoneOn-site + product review by national Ecolabel officeAnnual on-site by EU-accredited German control body
Residue testingNoneRisk-based per categoryRisk-based
Guarantees
  • Nothing. It is not a certification and there is no body verifying anything.
  • Lifecycle-based environmental criteria for the product category.
  • Restrictions on hazardous chemicals.
  • Recyclability and packaging requirements.
  • Audited every 3-5 years against an updated standard.
  • EU baseline organic (EU 2018/848).
  • Annual on-site inspection by accredited German certifier.
Does NOT
  • Doesn't mean organic. Doesn't mean pesticide-free. Doesn't mean GMO-free. Doesn't mean ethically produced.
  • Some markets (e.g. the US FDA on food, EU on cosmetics) place very limited restrictions on the word, but enforcement is weak.
  • Doesn't certify food as organic — Nordic Swan on a food package means lower-environmental-impact, not 'no synthetic pesticides'.
  • Same standard as the EU Leaf — not stricter.

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