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	Nordic Swan Ecolabel Nordic Countries · Tier 3 Specialty	COSMOS-Organic / Natural European Union · Tier 2 Trusted	Canada Organic Biologique Canada · Tier 1 Gold	Bio Suisse 'Knospe' (Bud) Switzerland · Tier 2 Trusted
What it means	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.	The leading certification for organic cosmetics in Europe. Two grades: COSMOS Organic (≥95% organic agricultural ingredients) and COSMOS Natural (no organic minimum, but the same restricted-ingredient list).	The federal Canadian organic standard, mandatory on any agricultural product sold across provincial borders or imported as 'organic'.	The Swiss organic farmers' federation mark. The Knospe (Bud) is the dominant organic mark in Swiss supermarkets and operates to standards stricter than the Swiss federal organic ordinance.
Scope	Several categories	Cosmetics	Food	Food
Established	1989	2010	2009	1981
Inspection	On-site + product review by national Ecolabel office	Annual on-site by COSMOS-accredited certifier	Annual on-site by CFIA-accredited certifier	Annual on-site, bio.inspecta accredited
Residue testing	Risk-based per category	Risk-based	Risk-based, conducted by accredited certifiers	Required
Guarantees	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.	COSMOS Organic: ≥95% organic agricultural ingredients. COSMOS Natural: minimum natural-origin ingredients with banned synthetic restrictions. No GMOs, no parabens, no PEGs, no synthetic fragrances, no SLS/SLES. Biodegradability requirements. Annual on-site audit.	≥95% organic ingredients (single-ingredient products: 100%). No synthetic pesticides, no GMOs, no irradiation. Annual third-party certification under the Canada Organic Regime.	Whole-farm conversion. Lower nitrogen inputs than the Swiss federal organic baseline. Strong animal welfare requirements. Annual on-site inspection.
Does NOT	Doesn't certify food as organic — Nordic Swan on a food package means lower-environmental-impact, not 'no synthetic pesticides'.	Doesn't certify clinical effectiveness or skin tolerance.	Provincial sales-only operations are not legally required to carry it (though many do voluntarily).	Switzerland is outside the EU — the Knospe is recognised by the EU under the Switzerland-EU equivalence agreement, but not by USDA without further certification.

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