Eco Lips certifies to NOP
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
Bestselling Eco Lips Gold will be first product to carry the U.S. Department of Agriculture's organic seal following certification of Eco Lips' manufacturing facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Company says it will be transitioning more of its products to carry USDA's stamp of approval over the next 12 months. Also, Eco Lips - which operates a private-label division - announces availability of USDA-certified organic lip balm to businesses wanting such a product for resale, gifting or promotion. "This gives companies the opportunity to easily distribute a certified organic promotional product that is also cost-effective," CEO Mark Patterson says. Eco Lips says the move illustrates its position in the contentious debate over the applicability of USDA's National Organic Program to cosmetics (versus food). Groups such as the Organic And Sustainable Industry Standards (OASIS) defend private standards for organic personal care as reasonable alternatives to an ill-adapted federal framework and vehicles for generating public opinion (1"The Rose Sheet" Aug. 10, 2009). But Eco Lips holds that "organic cannot have one meaning in one category (food) and another meaning in another category (skin care).