What the mark on your product stands for

What the mark means

The mark stands for three verified statements about the product and the company behind it:

• ECO-CERTIFIED — This product is certified to a recognised organic standard, for example Ecogarantie, Ecocert or Nature Care Product. These standards set requirements for ingredients, raw-material sourcing, environmental impact and packaging that go beyond what the law requires. Which certification applies in a given case is shown on the packaging and in our register.
• FAMILY BUSINESS — Behind the product is a company in which one family holds the majority of the voting rights and at least one family member sits on the management board, following the definition used by the Institut für Mittelstandsforschung Bonn and the European Commission. Where actual control lies with a group, an institutional investor or a private-equity investor, the mark is not granted.
• SINCE [YEAR] — The company has been on the market without interruption since that year, supported by at least two independent documents. A company that has merely acquired an old brand may not use that brand’s founding year. The year is a plain factual statement, not a statement of quality.

Who carries out the assessment

The assessment is carried out neither by the company itself nor by us as the standard owner, but by an independent certification body accredited to the international standard DIN EN ISO/IEC 17065 for product certification, which may have no ties to the company assessed or to us. It takes place before the mark is first used, is repeated every year, and is carried out in full every three years; where there are concrete grounds for suspicion, the body may also assess on site unannounced.

Two designs, one and the same assessment

New packaging carries only the current design, with the circular text “ECO-CERTIFIED” at the top and “FAMILY BUSINESS SINCE [YEAR]” at the bottom. On older packaging you may still come across an earlier design until the end of 2028, in which the year is placed differently. The same requirements and the same assessment lie behind both. The mark is also released in an English language version; the wording of the mandatory information is then in English.

What the mark does not mean

• It says nothing about whether other products of the same company are eco-certified — the statement applies only to the product carrying the mark.
• It is not a statement about climate neutrality and not an assessment of product quality.
• The founding year is a plain factual statement, not a statement of quality.

If something is not right

If a company breaches the rules, the mark is suspended or withdrawn; goods already delivered must then be taken back or relabelled. Suspensions and withdrawals remain in the public register for at least 24 months. You can submit a complaint at any time, anonymously if you prefer, using the complaint form, by e-mail to info@gaico-solutions.de or by telephone on +49 174 779 70 47.

Documents

The public documents of this certification system. Items marked “DE” are currently published in German; the consumer information is available in both languages.