Glossary Of Terms
 Eco-friendly:
Environmentally friendly, also referred to as nature friendly, is a term used to refer to good and services considered to inflict minimal harm/impact on the environment. The basic idea of treading light on the earth.
 Made in the USA:
Is a country of origin label indicating the product is "all" made in the U.S. The label is regulated by the Federal Trade Commission.
 Biodegradable:
Biodegradable materials are generally plant-based, animal-based or natural mineral-based products. The European Union deems a material biodegradable if it will break down into mostly water, carbon dioxide and organic matter within six months.
 Fair Trade:
According to Transfair USA Organization, Fair trade is an organized movement which promotes standards for international labor, environmentalism, and social policy in areas related to production of goods. Fair Trade focuses on exports from developing countries to developed countries. The intent is to work with marginalized producers and workers in order to help them move to security and economic self-sufficiency. Fair Trade also aims at empowering workers to become stakeholders in their own organizations. In particular fair trade focuses on exports from developing countries to developed countries, most notably handicrafts, coffee, cocoa, tea, bananas, honey, cotton, wine, fresh fruit etc.
Fair Trade principles include:
- Fair prices: Democratically organized farmer groups receive a guaranteed minimum floor price and an additional premium for certified organic products. Farmer organizations are also eligible for pre-harvest credit.
- Fair labor conditions: Workers on Fair Trade farms enjoy freedom of association, safe working conditions, and living wages. Forced child labor is strictly prohibited.
- Direct trade: Importers purchase from Fair Trade producer groups as directly as possible, eliminating unnecessary middlemen and empowering farmers to strengthen their organizations and become competitive players in the global economy.
- Democratic and transparent organizations: Fair Trade farmers and farm workers decide democratically how to use their Fair Trade revenues.
- Community development: Fair Trade farmers and farm workers invest Fair Trade premiums in social and business development projects like scholarship programs, quality improvement trainings, and organic certification.
- Environmental sustainability: The Fair Trade certification system strictly prohibits the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), promotes integrated farm management systems that improve soil fertility, and limits the use of harmful agrochemicals in favor of environmentally sustainable farming methods that protect farmers' health and preserve valuable ecosystems for future generations.
What are the social benefits of having products Fair Trade Certified?
- A fair price- guarantees farmers and workers are paid fairly for the products they work hard to produce, allowing their families to be feed and children the opportunity to go to school instead of labor in the fields.
- Quality products-producers maintain a high standard of quality using their traditional farming methods and avoid cost cutting practices to make ends meet.
- Care for the environment-Most Fair Trade Certified coffee, tea and chocolate in the US is certified organic and shade grown. This means that the products you buy maintain biodiversity, provide shelter for migratory birds and help reduce global warming.
- Community impact- Positive impact can be felt around around the world, with better quality products, raising the standard of living for impoverished countries, greener earth, and the long -term benefits that future generations will have living in more healthier world.
 Natural Health:
Although almost every clothing, bedding, and personal care product for dogs listed on Paw Luxury can be considered a Natural Health alternative, the products with this tag fit into the following guidelines.
Items that are alternatives to conventional health products
- vitamins
- essential oils
- herbs
- aromatherapy items
What are essential oils?
Essential oils are concentrated aromatic plant extracts collected through a process of steam distillation. Aromatherapists also use essences extracted by expression of fruit peel of citris and absolutes obtained by enfleurage and solvent extractiom. (i.e. Rose and jasmine absolutes are used in the aromatherapy). Orange-flower water and lavender water are fragrants produced during oil distillation.Essentials oils are a non -oily and highly fragrant Essence which is extracted from a plant by distillation and fast evaporates.
Benefits of their healing properties:
- Prevents or combats infection locally
- Destroys the growth/ reproduction of micro-organisms
- Destroys the growth/reproduction of viruses
- Reduces or eliminates pain
- Kills bacteria
- Inhibits the growth of bacteria
- Promotes cell rejuvenation
- Aids the absorption/ assimilation of food into the body
- Increase ability to absorb deep into skin and internal organs
- Flexibility in response to specific needs
- Has a soothing, calming, or tranquilizing effect
What is Aromatherapy?
Aromatherapy is the art and science of using pure essential oils extracted from plants for healing and balancing the mind and body. Use of plant aromatics for the holistic healing of mind, body, and spirit. Essential oils are the result of distillation or expression of plants and plant parts (e.g., flower, leaf, tree, bark, root, twig, seed, berry, resin and rind).
All essential oils, to varying degrees, have chemical compositions with powerful healing qualities. Aromatherapy is a complementary therapy, not a replacement for medical care. Aromatherapy can help relieve certain ailments such as: skin problems, stomach ailments, muscular aches, arthritis/joint pain, hormonal imbalance, respiratory problems. low energy, post-operative issues & mood disturbances.
 All-Natural Ingredients:
Products with the Natural tag should be comprised of a minimum of 70% natural materials as defined by the Natural Ingredient Resource Center which is as follows:
- Natural Ingredients include plant, animal, mineral or microbial ingredients...
- present in or produced by nature.
- produced using minimal physical processing which means the ingredient has had no more processing than something which could be made in a household kitchen, stillroom, on a farm, or vineyard.
- directly extracted using simple methods, simple chemical reactions or resulting from naturally occurring biological processes. Simple Extraction Methods/Simple Chemical Reactions include cleaning, cold pressing, dehydration, desiccation, drying, evaporation, filtering, grinding, infusing [water or natural alcohol], & steam or water distilling.
- Natural ingredients are...
- grown, harvested, raised and processed in an ecological manner.
- not produced synthetically.
- free of all petrochemicals.
- not extracted or processed using petrochemicals.
- not extracted or processed using anything other than natural ingredients as solvents.
- not exposed to irradiation.
- not genetically engineered & do not contain GMOs (genetically modified organisms).
- Natural ingredients do...
- not contain synthetic ingredients. (Produced by synthesis, a compound made artificially by chemical reactions, from simpler compounds or elements.)
- not contain artificial ingredients including colors or flavoring.
- not contain synthetic ingredients. (Produced by synthesis, a compound made artificially by chemical reactions, from simpler compounds or elements.)
- not contain synthetic chemical preservatives.
 Organic
Products with the Organic tag should be comprised of a minimum of 70% organic materials and should be organically certified or processed in accordance with the Organic Trade Association’s definition of organic which is a system of farming that maintains and replenishes soil fertility without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers. Organically produced foods also must be produced without the use of antibiotics, synthetic hormones, genetic engineering and other excluded practices, sewage sludge, or irradiation.
 Certified Organic:
Organic certification is a certification process for producers of organic food and other organic agricultural products. In general, any business directly involved in food production can be certified, including seed suppliers, farmers, food processors, retailers and restaurants. Requirements vary from country to country, and generally involve a set of production standards for growing, storage, processing, packaging and shipping that include:
- avoidance of most synthetic chemical inputs (e.g. fertilizer, pesticides, antibiotics, food additives, etc), genetically modified organisms, irradiation, and the use of sewage sludge;
- use of farmland that has been free from chemicals for a number of years (often, three or more);
- keeping detailed written production and sales records (audit trail);
- maintaining strict physical separation of organic products from non-certified products;
- undergoing periodic on-site inspections.
In some countries, certification is overseen by the government, and commercial use of the term organic is legally restricted. Certified organic producers are also subject to the same agricultural, food safety and other government regulations that apply to non-certified producers.
Purpose of Certification
Organic certification addresses a growing worldwide demand for organic food. It is intended to assure quality and prevent fraud , and to promote commerce . While such certification was not necessary in the early days of the organic movement, when small farmers would sell their produce directly at farmers markets, as organics have grown in popularity, more and more consumers are purchasing organic food through traditional channels, such as supermarkets. As such, consumers are divorced from the growers, and so must rely on third-party regulatory certification.
For organic producers, certification identifies suppliers of products approved for use in certified operations. For consumers, "certified organic" serves as a product assurance, similar to "low fat", "100% whole wheat", or "no artificial preservatives". Certification is essentially aimed at regulating and facilitating the sale of organic products to consumers.
Certification & Product Labeling
Being able to put the word "organic" on a food product is a valuable marketing advantage in today's consumer market. Certification is intended to protect consumers from misuse of the term, and make buying organics easy. However, the organic labeling made possible by certification itself usually requires explanation.
In the US, federal organic legislation defines three levels of organics.
- "100% organic"- Products made entirely with certified organic ingredients and methods can be labeled (can display USDA organic seal)
- Contains Organic Ingredients: (need icon)
This means that the product contains a % of organic ingredients or is made with some organic ingredients, but it not deemed 100% organic.
- “Organic” products made with 95% organic ingredients (can display USDA organic seal).
- "Made with organic ingredients"-contains a minimum of 70% organic ingredients (can display the logo of the certification body that approved them)
- Products made with less than 70% organic ingredients can not advertise this information to consumers and can only mention this fact in the product's ingredient statement.
The National Organic Program
In the United States, the National Organic Program (NOP) is the federal regulatory framework governing organic food. It was made law in October 2002, and is administered by the Department of Agriculture (USDA). It covers in detail all aspects of food production, processing, delivery and retail sale. Under the NOP, farmers and food processors who wish to use the word "organic" in reference to their businesses and products, must be certified organic. Producers with annual sales not exceeding $5,000 US are exempted and do not require certification (however, they must still follow NOP standards, including keeping records and submitting to a production audit if requested, and cannot use the term certified organic).
There are currently 56 U.S. domestic certification agencies accredited by the USDA, including Organic Crop Improvement Association, CCOF, Quality Assurance International (QAI), and Indiana Certified Organic. There are also 41 accredited foreign agencies that offer organic certification services.
The NOP covers fresh and processed agricultural food products, including crops and livestock. It does not cover non-food products that may be sold as organic, including natural fibers (eg: organic cotton), and health and beauty products (eg: organic shampoo).
 Made From Recycled Materials:
Recycled Products are comprised of materials that have been extracted from the garbage or waste. Recycling is the reprocessing of materials into new products and generally prevents the waste of potentially useful materials, reduces the consumption of raw materials and reduces energy usage, and hence greenhouse gas emissions, compared to virgin production.
 Recyclable Materials:
"Recyclables", may originate from a wide range of sources including the home and industry. They include glass, paper, aluminum, asphalt, iron, textiles and plastics. Biodegradable waste, such as food waste or garden waste, is also recyclable with the assistance of micro-organisms through composting or anaerobic digestion.
 Sustainable:
Webster Dictionary defines Sustainable processes as those that can be carried out indefinitely with minimal long-term impact on the environment. The following are examples of sustainable systems.
- Closed Loop Manufacturing is a system that collects used products and then reuses or recycles all collected products and components within a closed system.
- Sustainable agriculture refers to the ability of a farm to produce food indefinitely, without causing irreversible damage to ecosystem health. This includes organic, biodynamic and wildcrafted methods.
- Sustainable Fishing is the practice of managing fish that are caught or raised in ways that won't deplete stocks and are sensitive to the environment.
- Sustainable forestry practices a land stewardship ethic which integrates the growing, nurturing, and harvesting of trees with the conservation of soil, air, and water quality, while protecting wildlife and fish habitats.
Below are a list of Sustainable Materials constructed from renewable resources and offer a multitude of advantages over conventional textiles.
- bamboo
- beeswax
- coir
- cork
- eucalyptus
- flax
- hemp
- kenaf
- legna
- natural latex
- silk
- soy
- wool
- cotton
 Organic Cotton
Conventional cotton is one of the most chemically-dependent crops, sucking up 10% of all agricultural chemicals and 25% of insecticides on 3% of our arable land; that's more than any other crop per unit. Unlike conventional grown cotton, organic cotton is grown without pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, chemical fertilizers or any other chemicals, and that makes it hugely different, especially considering that cotton (organic or otherwise) provides about half of all the world's fiber needs. Organic cotton, on the other hand, uses agricultural methods designed to help sustain the land it grows on, the people who grow and harvest it and the planet in general. Like all organic products, organic cotton must be certified as such by a third party, based upon pre-determined rules and regulations for what is and isn't allowed in the cultivation process. Here in the United States, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulates the organic certification process, based on the standards set in the Organic Food Production Act of 1990.
 Natural Hemp:
The fiber and the plant Cannabis sativa. It should not be confused with Manila hemp, which is not related to true hemp. Hemp contains the drug THC (tetrahydrocannabinol).
Hemp fiber, which for many years was the major raw material used in the manufacture of rope, now is used mostly in the production of small twines, linen like fabrics and canvases, and, to some extent, in making special types of paper.
Hemp is an annual crop, most of which is produced in Eastern Europe and mainland China, with some production in South Korea, Turkey, Italy, and Canada.
Benefits:
- Hemp is naturally sustainable, durable & soft
- Hemp is naturally grown without chemicals and requires only ¼ the amount of water per acre compared to cotton
- Naturally Hypoallergenic & naturally anti-microbial
 Cruelty-Free:
Products developed or produced without inhumane testing on animals or people
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