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Dr Bronner’s Raises Stakes in Lawsuit 02.07.09
Dr Bronner’s is now calling for monetary damages in an ongoing legal battle against what it believes to be misbranded ‘organic’ cosmetics.The natural soaps company originally brought the lawsuit against a number of players including Hains Celestial (Jason Nautrals and Avalon Ogranics brands), Levlad (Nature’s Gate) and the certification bodies OASIS and Ecocert, back in April 2008.
In the original lawsuit Dr Bronner’s asked that the companies cease to market products with organic in the product name unless they meet USDA National Organic Program specifications, which it believes represents consumers’ expectations of the term organic.
The company has now upped the stakes and is asking for damages incurred through loss of sales to what it alleges are falsely advertised organic products.
In the second amended complaint presented July 1 at the San Francisco Superior Court, Dr Bronner’s is calling for the profits made from the sale of the defendants allegedly mislabelled organic products to be awarded to the company.
In addition, it asks for monetary compensation for the diversion of sales from Dr Bronner’s to the defendants.
According to David Bronner, president of Dr Bronner’s Magic Soaps, the defendants ‘organic’ products are composed of conventional rather than organic cleansing and moisturizing ingredients, with organic ingredients or extracts added for and ‘organic greenwash’.
“Organic consumers expect that the main cleansing and moisturizing ingredients in ‘organic’ or ‘organics’ products are in fact made from organic material, and are not simply conventional formulations with some organic tea on top,” he said.
“If defendants cannot live up to their organic claims they need to drop those claims,” he added.
Certifiers OASIS and Ecocert are being asked in the lawsuit to stop certifying products organic that could not be certified under the USDA national organic program.
Dr Bronner’s claims that Estee Lauder, which appeared in the original complaint, has been dropped from the second amendment as ‘it has in fact not in fact entered the market under its Aveda brand with OASIS as it had earlier threatened to do’.
Source: Cosmetics Design North America
Whole Foods Program Accepts Dr. Bronner's Fairtrade Products "Whole Foods Program" 11.12.08
Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps and the Swiss organic and fair trade certifier IMO have been accepted into Whole Foods Market's Whole Trade Program—Whole Foods Market's designation of products with the highest degree of ethics and integrity, by Whole Foods' scale, in its stores. The program evaluates standards, prices paid to producers, wages and working conditions, and environmental sustainability.
For each Whole Trade product sold, 1% of the retail sale will go to Whole Planet Foundation, which operates under a mission to create economic partnerships with the poor through microcredit in communities that supply Whole Foods Market stores with product, with a focus on the developing world.
"A publicly traded retailer donating 1% of its Whole Trade sales on an ongoing basis to support the poorest of the poor through microcredit, is remarkable and unprecedented," said David Bronner, president, Dr. Bronner's. "We're proud to be part of the Whole Trade Program by contributing $5,000 of our charitable funds to the Whole Planet Foundation, as well, on an annual basis."
The Potential of Fairtrade Cosmetics & Cosmetic Ingredients is assessed in a new report published by Organic Monitor. The report gives details of cosmetic ingredients that are certified fairtrade and those that have the potential to become certified. Case studies are given of cosmetic & ingredient companies that have adopted fairtrade practices, as well as fairtrade schemes like those of Fairtrade Labelling Organisation, IMO, etc.
Dr. Bronner’s can continue with lawsuit 28.10.08The San Francisco County Superior Court has ruled that Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps can proceed with its lawsuit seeking to compel organic cheater companies & certifiers to drop, or stop certifying, deceptive organic label and brand claims. Culprit brands include Avalon "Organics" and Jason "Pure, Natural & Organic", for example; the culprit certifiers are OASIS and Ecocert. Estee Lauder is also a defendant due to its expressed intent to enter the market under its Aveda brand with misleading OASIS certified "organic" products. The 800,000 supporter strong Organic Consumers Association has played a leading role in exposing and educating consumers about deceptive organic branding, and is a party in the litigation with Ecocert.
In so ruling, the court moved the case closer to full consideration of the merits of Dr. Bronner's claims. Organic consumers expect that the main cleansing and moisturizing ingredients in soaps, shampoos and body washes that are labeled "Organic", "Organics" or "Made with Organic" will be made from organic as distinct from conventional agricultural material, produced without synthetic fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides, and be free of petrochemical compounds.