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	Nordic Swan Ecolabel Nordic Countries · Tier 3 Specialty	NATRUE European Union · Tier 2 Trusted	Naturland Germany · Tier 2 Trusted	USDA Organic United States · Tier 1 Gold
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.	An EU-based natural-and-organic cosmetics certification. Three grades: Natural, Natural with Organic portion, and Organic.	A German farmers' association whose private organic standard is stricter than the EU baseline. Covers food, aquaculture, textiles, and cosmetics. Recognised globally.	The US Department of Agriculture's national organic standard. The green-and-white seal is the legal mark for any food sold as 'organic' in the United States.
Scope	Several categories	Cosmetics	Several categories	Food
Established	1989	2007	1982	2002
Inspection	On-site + product review by national Ecolabel office	Annual third-party audit	Annual on-site by Naturland-accredited inspectors	Annual on-site by USDA-accredited certifier
Residue testing	Risk-based per category	Risk-based	Required	Required on ≥5% of operations annually
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.	Restricted ingredient list (no synthetic fragrances, no silicones, no PEGs). Tiered organic content: Natural with Organic portion ≥70% certified organic; Organic ≥95%. Annual third-party verification.	Stricter than EU 2018/848 (lower nitrogen inputs, full-farm conversion, social standards). Annual on-site inspection. Fair-pricing requirements for member farmers.	At least 95% of ingredients are certified organic (the '100% Organic' variant requires every ingredient). No synthetic pesticides, no synthetic fertilizers, no GMOs, no sewage sludge, no irradiation. Annual on-site inspection by a USDA-accredited certifier. Residue testing on at least 5% of certified operations each year.
Does NOT	Doesn't certify food as organic — Nordic Swan on a food package means lower-environmental-impact, not 'no synthetic pesticides'.	Mark is trademark-protected.	Membership-based — only farms that join the Naturland association can use the mark.	Doesn't certify nutrition, taste, or animal welfare specifically (separate marks like AWA cover welfare). Doesn't guarantee local production — a 'USDA Organic' product can be grown anywhere with an accredited inspector.

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