Skip to content
Organic.is
All certifications
Side-by-side

Compare certifications.

Up to four certifications, side by side. Choose which ones

 
Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) logo
Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC)
United States · Tier 2 Trusted
Nordic Swan Ecolabel logo
Nordic Swan Ecolabel
Nordic Countries · Tier 3 Specialty
?
'Natural' (NOT a certification)
Worldwide · Tier 4 Marketing
What it meansA 'beyond organic' standard developed by the Regenerative Organic Alliance (Patagonia, Rodale Institute, Dr. Bronner's, others). Built on top of USDA Organic; adds soil health, animal welfare, and social fairness pillars.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 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.
ScopeSeveral categoriesSeveral categoriesSeveral categories
Established20181989—
InspectionAnnual on-site by ROA-accredited certifierOn-site + product review by national Ecolabel officeNone
Residue testingPer USDA NOPRisk-based per categoryNone
Guarantees
  • USDA Organic baseline (or equivalent) is a prerequisite.
  • Soil health: cover cropping, no-till or reduced-till, conservation crop rotation, compost.
  • Animal welfare: pasture-based, Five Freedoms, prohibits factory-farm conditions.
  • Social fairness: living wage, freedom of association, safe workplace, no forced or child labour.
  • Three tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold based on adoption depth.
  • 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.
  • Nothing. It is not a certification and there is no body verifying anything.
Does NOT
  • Newer label (2018+) — supply still limited, mostly US brands.
  • Doesn't certify food as organic — Nordic Swan on a food package means lower-environmental-impact, not 'no synthetic pesticides'.
  • 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.

Choose up to 4 (3 chosen)

Stay in the loop

Get notified when we publish new articles, updates, and organic guides. No spam, just honest content, straight to your inbox.

Compare certifications · Organic.is