- Green Lifestyle
Is everything that claims to be organic actually organic?
Consumers actually have a lot of power: They can hype brands, they can boycott products. They are the ones who decide whether a product is top or flop. But why then do so many people not buy organic products, even though they know that they can regenerate the environment and the like? Because they supposedly save money and because they don’t trust the organic labels?
Babette Lichtenford
Information. Communication. Marketing. Greenwashing?
The boundaries between marketing and greenwashing in the presentation of product benefits are blurred. And although the guidelines have been tightened, at least in the EU, it is still difficult to tell whether “controlled cultivation” really means organic.
If you want to be sure that a product comes from certified organic farming, it should have at least one of the national organic seals – e.g. the USDA organic seal in the USA or the EU organic logo on the packaging. The latter guarantees: GMO-free, species-appropriate animal husbandry and the absence of organic synthetic pesticides and chemical synthetic fertilizers… The responsible organic inspection body must also be indicated.*
If you want more – which would be great – then you can’t avoid the seals of the international organic farming associations. They generally stand for much stricter guidelines and controls. Demeter and Naturland are the best known and also the most important ones. However, the two certifications are very similar.
The most noticeable difference is that animal husbandry is obligatory with Demeter, as the fields are fertilized with the manure. In addition, this natural fertilizer is enriched with biodynamic preparations of herbs and minerals. This method is based on the anthroposophical ideas of Rudolf Steiner, which is often the subject of controversy (you can read more about it in this blog article)
A (very long) long-term study by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture has now confirmed that Demeter farming (closely followed by Naturland) has the best soil quality. And overall, organic farming consumes 30-50% less energy than conventional farming (keyword: nitrogen fertilization).
And what about the other organic seals?
Supermarkets and discounters have massively expanded their “organic private labels” in recent years. However, if such products do not at least bear the national organic label (or one of the growers’ associations), they are NOT organic. It’s as simple as that. So, if you want to play it safe – and also make a difference with your purchase – then be sure to go for the products with the seals of the growers’ associations (Naturland, Demeter). It’s actually quite simple.
By the way: Terms such as “sustainable”, “controlled”, “controlled cultivation”, “environmentally compatible”, “environmentally friendly”, “integrated cultivation or plant cultivation” are pure greenwashing and have nothing to do with “organic” or “eco” (legally protected terms since 1993).
And one more ‘by the way’: Fair is not organic. Fairtrade (with all its formats for different product categories) stands for certain social standards. The respective product is only organic in combination with an additional organic seal. Only the Naturland-Fair seal, which has been in existence since 2010, covers both areas at once.
That leaves us with the topic of "regional" products.
Up until recently it was often claimed that “regional” was the new “organic”, because the idea of saving CO2 by reducing transportation and thus doing something to combat climate change appeared to be so hip. This is basically correct, if transportation were the main source of greenhouse gases. But they are not necessarily, as a study published in the Science magazine shows. Here, 29 foodstuffs were analyzed based on data from 119 countries in order to understand how CO2 emissions are distributed along the value chain.
The result: It’s about WHAT you eat. Not so much about WHERE it comes from. Here is a link to a rather impressive graphic (www.ourworldindata.org/food-choice-vs-eating-local). But of course, it is more sensible to buy an apple from the region than one from an international growing region. So, you can safely rely on your common sense here.
And what about coffee?
Although coffee always comes from overseas, it is the cultivation – and not the transportation – that is decisive for its CO2 footprint. This is because 20-50% of emissions are generated there alone. And that means: Organic cultivation under shade trees, without chemical fertilizers, without pesticides can save half of these emissions compared to conventionally grown coffee**. Not to mention the positive effects in terms of biodiversity, water conservation, and soil quality.
That is why all Mount Hagen coffees, no matter where they come from (they are roasted in Hamburg, Germany, by the way), are always USDA, Naturland or Demeter certified. And they also have the Faitrade seal – 100% organic, 100% fair.
Interestingly, the second big chunk of the CO2 footprint is coffee preparation. A latte to go in a plastic cup that is thrown away when cold, is of course the worst. But nobody would do that, right? After all, coffee – especially with such outrageously delicious flavors – is a luxury.
