National Candle Association 35th Annual Meeting

Candles and All That Jazz

Are you a fragrance? If so, its not easy being GREEN!

What are we going to cover?

• What is the fragrance industry doing to support their clients in developing products that are “green?”

• Federal, state, and private agencies involved in the regulation of “green” consumer products.

• A word about “green-washing”

FMA Approach to Help our Clients Scientifically Substantiate their Green Claims

(FMA – Fragrance Materials Association of the United States)

“Green” is a concept related to environmental friendliness - a part of “Sustainability”– Sustainability – the act of balancing a

growing economy, protection for the environment, and social responsibility so that together, they lead to an improved quality of life for ourselves and for future generations (EPA Website)

FMA - Approach to Help our Clients Scientifically Substantiate their Green Claims

(cont.)

• Obviously, the term “Green” is not a categorical yes/no

• It is definitely a different shade of “Gray”. • It can be a process, product or a raw material. – It is safe, sustainable, environmentally friendly,

resource conservative and proactive. – Based on the clients definition of “green”, the

industry must work with their clients to meet their “green” requirements

FMA - Approach to Help our Clients Scientifically Substantiate their Green Claims

(cont.) • What does the client want? What is their ultimate

label claim? Share your definition – not all clients want the same thing when it comes to “green” - natural- organic- biodegradable- nature identical

• All responses imply “environmentally friendly”• Definition and criteria must be consistent and

defensible – sound science!

What is a “Natural”Fragrance?• Green and natural are not synonymous• Consumer (mis)conception – if its “natural” it must

be safe……hemlock• Hybid car – many colors but green in the eyes of the

consumer• Natural may not be sustainable• Only fragrance ingredients which correspond to the

terms and definitions in ISO norm 9235 (International Standard on Aromatic natural raw materials - vocabulary), or substances already present in them and isolated from them by purely physical means, can be incorporated into fragrances declared as ‘natural’. (IFRA I.L. 737)

What is “Organic”• Organic refers to the way agricultural products are

grown and processed. • It includes a system of:– Production– Processing– Distribution – Sales

•Assures consumers that products maintain their organic integrity that begins on the farm (Organic Trade Association.)• Organic production - based on a system of farming

that maintains and replenishes soil fertility without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers.

What is “Organic” (cont.)

• Organic Fragrances?–Difficult–Limited crops–Small crops–Expensive

What is Biodegradability?

• Biodegradability can be part of the “green” concept.

• Fragrance ingredients should be tested individually

• Some eco-label groups accept “inherent biodegradability” (60-70% biodegradation

/OECD 302 or equivalent)• Clients that want biodegradable fragrances

should clearly define their benchmark

What is “Nature Identical”

• Molecules known to be present in natural fragrance ingredients derived from the environment

• Are they made in the laboratory? (Natural = good / synthetic = bad)

• Nature Identical materials are consistent from batch to batch – unlike natural fragrance materials which can change with the weather

• Safety profile does not change

“Green” Resources – How can my products become “Green?”• US-EPA – Design for the Environment (DfE)

- Works in partnership with stakeholders to reduce risk to people and the environment by preventing pollution- Focuses on industries that combine the potential for chemical risk reduction and improvements in energy efficiency with a strong motivation to make lasting, positive changes.- Assesses all ingredients in the context of the total process and function of the consumer product.

GREEN SEAL™The Mark of Environmental Responsibility

• Fair, unbiased, and credibleGreen Seal bases its work on thorough, state-of-the-art scientific evaluations using internationally accepted methodologies. Product evaluations are conducted using a life-cycle approach to ensure that all significant environmental impacts of a product are considered, from raw materials extraction through manufacturing to use and disposal.

• Green Seal Certified Products/Services Household ProductsFacility Operations and Maintenance

• Online resource focusing on “Building a Healthy and Sustainable Lifestyle”- “Green Home Guide” offers tips for a better greener life

• Healthy Home Basics – What is Green?Green actions promote conservation of the earth’s natural resources, energy efficiency, and lessening dependence on industrial chemicals and petroleum products. A green product is one that:

• Uses a renewable resource• Is not dangerous to the health of people or animals• Does not cause damage to the environment or consume a disproportionate

amount of energy in its manufacture, use, or disposal• Does not cause unnecessary waste, due either to excessive packaging or to

a short useful life• Does not involve the unnecessary use of, or cruelty to, animals• Does not use materials derived from threatened species or environments.

GREENGUARDEnvironmental Institute

• GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified® • GEI - An industry-independent non-profit

organization• GEI - PRODUCT GUIDE

The world's largest guide for selecting low emitting products and materials.

• No air care or home fragrance products category – only contains hard surface cleaning products

Organic and Sustainable Industry Standards (OASIS)

• OASIS Organic seal - your assurance of a verifiable, Certified Organic personal care product.

- tells buyers throughout the world that your product has met the highest international Standard for the Health and Beauty industry.

• The Organic Standard is the first of several standards to support and protect organic and sustainable consumer goods.

• OASIS will bring credibility to the current chaos in the organic beauty and personal care industry.

Federal Trade Commission Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims

• Commonly known as the “Green Guides” issued to help marketers avoid making environmental claims that are unfair or deceptive under Section 5 of the FTC Act.

• Outline general principles that apply to all environmental marketing claims and then provide guidance on specific green claims, such as biodegradable, compostable, recyclable, recycled content, and ozone safe.

What is Greenwashing?• Wikipedia: a term used to describe the practice of companies

disingenuously spinning their products and policies as environmentally friendly, such as by presenting cost cuts as reductions in use of resources. It is a deceptive use of green PR or green marketing.

• SOURCEWATCH - unjustified appropriation of environmental virtue by a company, an industry, a government, a politician or even a non-government organization to create a pro-environmental image, sell a product or a policy, or to try and rehabilitate their standing with the public and decision makers after being embroiled in controversy.

• Concise Oxford English Dictionary defined greenwash as "disinformation disseminated by an organization so as to present an environmentally responsible public image.

Terrachoice recently published "The Six Sins of Greenwashing":

• The Sin of No Proof: When a company claims a product has an environmental benefit but is unable to provide proof when questioned.

• The Sin of Fibbing: When a company lies about an environmental benefit• The Sin of Vagueness: When a company uses descriptors like "green,"

"environmentally friendly," or "all natural," without defining their context.

• The Sin of Irrelevance: When a company gives factual information that's essentially meaningless. For example, labeling a product CFC-free when CFC's were banned years ago.

The Sin of the Hidden Trade-Off: When a company emphasizes an environmental benefit but plays down other environmental disadvantages the product might have.

• The Sin of the Lesser of Two Evils: A product whose value is questionable whether or not it has an environmental benefit.

Finally…..• We do not want to be regulated out of business, but

we need to address regulatory issues in the absence of clear definitions and standards.

• We all need to focus on the end consumer and the products in which they perceive the most value.

• In the new “Green” world, how we create, manufacture, label and market products is not defined, but is open to our interpretation and ability to substantiate claims.

• ANSI (American National Standards Institute) is currently working on a “Green Products” standard – the FMA is an active member and participates

One last thought

• There have been a lot of media hits on the classification of “natural” and “green”

• We need to be careful when making claims so we don’t compromise the integrity of not just the fragrance industry, but the consumer product industry, as well.

Questions?

T. Janine BrzezinskiAlpine Aromatics International, Inc.51 Ethel Road WestPiscataway, NJ 08854732-572-5600jbrzezinski@alpinearomatics.com