Aren't we all a little bit organic?

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AREN'T WE ALL A LITTLE BIT ORGANIC?

In the labyrinth of eco-labels, quality seals and certificates.

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Since the introduction of ecological goods to the grocery trade, »organic« has become affordable for most people. The sales have been growing continually and so has the amount of biological products; more and more producers bet on the boom. Terms such as sustainability, organic and CO2 emission are on everyone’s lips. Green fashion, natural cosmetics and fair trade prove to be tremendously popular.

As a means of guidance, in order to hamper fraud and – if nothing else – as a marketing tool to increase the sales, quality seals have been introduced. The vast amount of certificates with various meanings, however, causes confusion rather than transparency among the customers.

This is why I wrote my bachelor thesis on this topic. I tried to bring light into the darkness of quality seals and certificates and to offer an overview of the most important markets and sectors. I examined the origins of the organic-trend, its development and its current impact on marketing and advertising. In this context, commercial abuse and its inhibition are assessed.

Primarily, however, the paper aims at raising the level of awareness: of the depletability and scarcity of resources, of distributional injustice and – as a consequence – it aims at encouraging reasonable consumption and the courage to change.

So naturally this thesis is made ecofriendly all through. Slipcase and cover consist of plain natural recycled bookbinding cardbord which got lovingly letterpressed by hand. And certainly the content is printed on certified recycled paper as well.