Australian Certified Organic (ACO) - Certified is one of the declarations under the Ekko Score Organic - Chemical Free Standard.
ACO - Certified Certified Organic products are grown and processed without the use of synthetic chemicals, fertilisers, or GMO’s. Organics is not just “chemical free”. It is a whole systems or holistic means of growing and handling food. The whole system is linked – Soil. Plants. Animals. Food. People. Environment. Organic is an innovative method of farming and production – and is increasingly being recognised as being on the leading edge of food and fibre technology.
Australian Certified Organic (ACO) - Certified means that all links in the supply chain are audited and so wholesalers, retailers and consumers alike all have a guarantee of organic integrity. Organic certification involves auditing an operation’s methods to ensure that they comply with the guidelines of organic production. You can get more information on this Certification on the ACO website.
Australian Certified Organic (ACO) - Certified sits in the ORGANIC Family under the Environmental Standard: Organic - Chemical Free of Ekko Score. One set of weighted Ekko Score points are gathered from each Family.
These are the claimable declarations & certifications under the Environmental Standard: Organic - Chemical Free . Please note that different certifications and declarations may be relevant to each category.
Yes, where the impact of the claim is similar. This is how it works.
IMPORTANTLY, SELF DECLARATIONS ARE GOVERNED BY CONSUMER LAW. IT IS AGAINST THE LAW FOR BUSINESSES TO MAKE FALSE CLAIMS (INCLUDING IMPLIED CLAIMS IN A CONTEXT LIKE EKKO SCORE).
EVEN IF A PRODUCT HAS A FORMAL CERTIFICATION, THAT CERTIFICATION DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ENTIRE INTEGRITY OF THE PRODUCT'S MAKE UP.
An example might be a Handmade, Australian, Certified Organic chocolate that contains Palm Oil. Under Ekko Score, this product would claim Certified Organic and would self declare: Zero Waste Production and Australian made, but could not claim the No Palm Oil declaration. This would mean a lower score under the Organic - Chemical Free Standard, making the inclusion of Palm Oil clear to potential consumers, without detracting from its other assets.
No product is perfect, but some products are definitely better than others. Ekko Score allows you to make the best decision you can, or to put it another way, the least worst decision. And to make that decision with the confidence of not being green washed. Find out more about how Ekko Score works.