At Natural Origins, we have always developed strong, supportive partnerships with local players involved in our supply chains. Our requirements, our responsibility and our ethics regarding the production of our botanical ingredients are reflected in several certifications subject to conditions, which we will outline, and which will enable you to bring real added value to your finished products.

Specifications of the different labels: ORGANIC, For Life and Fair for Life

Natural Origins guarantees all its customers natural raw materials derived from sustainable, ethical and transparent supply chains. A large proportion of our Fair Trade products are also certified organic. 

We have set up product and supply chain certifications through the complementary labels Organic, For Life and Fair for Life (1). The chart below outlines the repective specifications (2): 

Natural Origins is committed to respecting local populations, the environment and works closely with the stakeholders in its supply chains. Our partners, chosen for their knowledge of botanicals, their ancestral know-how and their expertise in the field, are mainly local cooperatives based on solidarity with small farmers using traditional methods such as drying certain botanicals in the sun or harvesting them by hand. As far as possible, Natural Origins favours these responsible, sustainable growing and harvesting practices, which help to preserve ecosystems while supporting farmers with regular and fair incomes.

The For Life label

This label enables us to showcase our commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR), including the implementation of a responsible sourcing policy.

This commitment covers sustainable development issues, including:

• evaluating environmental responsibility
• social commitment
• impact on local employment
• and the respect for consumers

Every year, Natural Origins is audited by Ecocert to ensure compliance with CSR rules and its guidelines. The For Life label can also be applied to the product itself. In this case, a third-party audit of the entire procurement supply chain is carried out to ensure that the CSR conditions are met.

Natural Origins was audited and certified in 2023 in accordance with the inspection procedures of the For Life Product Certification programme and complementary module for Corporate Social Responsibility as an intermediate trader. The performance achieved is 92% (compared with 89.5% in 2022) and 5 leaves, the highest level of For Life certification.

The approved products are as follows:

• Benzoin Siam (gum)
• Organic Cinnamon bark powder 300μm
• Whole coriander seeds
• Organic royal jelly
• Whole Cubeb peppercorns
• Organic Licorice root

Natural Origins is also taking concrete action in the field, including:

• pre-financing of harvests granted to its suppliers to help them meet the costs associated with their activity
• a financial contribution towards the construction of a new day nursery in Namibia to enable men and women to work with peace of mind
• the purchase of new equipment to limit the release of dust into the atmosphere
• making responsible and training workers to make them autonomous and aware of the issues at stake in their activity
• creating local and sustainable jobs at Natural Origins headquarters
• sponsoring beehives in the Beaujolais region to contribute to bee biodiversity

The Fair for Life label

Designed for fair trade products, this label enables us to offer key guarantees such as:

• a purchase price that is fair and higher than the market price
• the introduction of a protection mechanism for producers (guaranteed minimum price in the event of a crisis, calculated on the basis of production costs)
• the fair trade development fund, or "development fund", which refers to the additional amount paid to the production operator above and beyond the price paid for the products. Its use is strictly limited to projects chosen collectively by the beneficiaries
• decent and safe working conditions (concerns the entire supply chain and its country)
• strengthening producers’ autonomy
• environmentally-friendly farming practices that encourage the transition to organic farming

The entire supply chain is monitored to ensure that all stakeholders (producers, buyers, product handlers) comply with the rules of responsibility and fairness set out in the standards. "Fair for Life" enables us to guarantee a fair price for producers, a gradual improvement in their production tools and the means to properly carry out collective projects.

Natural Origins has been audited and certified in accordance with the inspection procedures of the Fair for Life programme. This certification programme covers fair trade and responsible supply chains as a Fair Trade Partner/Intermediary Trader for:

• ORGANIC Harpagophytum - Namibia
• ORGANIC Ginger Root - Peru
• ORGANIC Cubeb Pepper - Indonesia supply chains

The performance achieved is 88.8% in 2023 compared with 87.9% in 2022 and 5 leaves, the highest level of Fair for Life certification.

This represents a remarkable differentiation for Natural Origins customers, who are proud of the involvement of the various stakeholders - producers, harvesters and local players - who have enabled us to achieve these results.

The essential conditions for product certification

• Protecting the environment and the climate
• Conserving soil fertility
• Maintaining biodiversity
• Respecting natural cycles
• No use of synthetic chemical products
• No use of GMOs
• Providing transparent labelling for the consumer

To be able to use the ORGANIC label on a processed product, at least 95% of the product's ingredients must be organic. If the content is less than 95%, the product may apply a special label stating "X% of ingredients of organic agricultural origin".».

• For For Life, this concerns the company and not the products, but a product can be certified (like our coriander, for example) if the supply chain is monitored and if certain strict conditions regarding the composition of the product as part of responsible sourcing are met. “For Life" standards are determined by independent third-party bodies, which may have different rules for different product categories.

• For Fair for Life, 80% of the ingredients need to be certified (4).

“The development of the Fair for Life and For Life labels on current products and others to come will help to position the company as a committed player and a benchmark for ethical natural ingredients in the context of sustainable development" explains Nadine Bromberger, Purchasing Director and head of the labelling project.

The Fair for Life and For Life labels are proof of our commitment to the predominant social, environmental and procurement supply chain criteria inherent in our products, which we can also highlight through videos or photos via the digital channel. This approach enables us to accompany our customers and their consumers in raising their awareness of social responsibility, while at the same time making them stakeholders in a self-improvement process.

Examples of certified finished products

Applying an organic, ethical and sustainable label to packaging represents real added value for brands, as it demonstrates their commitment to fair, sustainable and socially responsible business practices.

Consumers, who are very attentive to the quality of a product but also to its ecological impact, are keen to make a 'conscious' purchase, which is meaningful from a social and environmental point of view, and which will be repeatedly purchased.

Brands, for their part, can develop their supply chain marketing by telling the story of the sourcing of their ingredients, as in the following examples: Fleurance Nature and Dietaroma promote organic harpagophytum with the Fair For Life label for their dietary supplements targeting joint comfort in tablets and vials.

Arkopharma uses Premium ORGANIC Royal Jelly for its vials:

Market demands where the choice of fair trade and responsible ingredients is a strong commitment are growing all the time. Our ORGANIC, For Life and Fair for Life certifications meet this need for transparency and quality, guaranteeing a reliable purchase in line with consumers' ethical and environmental concerns.

Please feel free to contact us.

To see our entire product range, check out our online catalogue available 24 HOURS A DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK.

Sources :

(1) https://www.fairforlife.org/pmws/indexDOM.php?client_id=fairforlife&page_id=certified&lang_iso639=en&company_id=747

(2) https://www.fairforlife.org/pmws/indexDOM.php?client_id=fairforlife&page_id=certified&lang_iso639=en&company_id=1016

(3) https://www.ecocert.com/en/certification-detail/organic-farming-europe-eu-n-848-2018

(4) https://www.ecocert.com/en/certification-detail/fair-trade-fair-for-life