Today, the ecological product market has grown considerably and has become an important sector. This market, which grows by 25 percent each year, is expected to exceed 100 billion Dollars in the next decade with this growth rate. The biggest parities in this regard are the European Union countries, America and Japan. Against this development, many international organizations have entered the ecological product market.
As a matter of fact, ecological products (such as wool, cotton, cut flowers), which are offered for sale in these markets, are supplied from many countries of the world. Therefore, in the growing ecological product sector, there are many official and voluntary local organizations as well as international organizations in setting, applying, controlling and updating the criteria.
These organizations are headed by IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements). This organization is the leader of ecological farming activities in the world. Today, the company is headquartered in Germany and more than 140 members from around 800 have joined the organization. These members include both ecological production enterprises, businesses that trade or process them, and research organizations. Although most of its members are from European countries, nowadays new members from all over the world are joining. The ever-renewed ecological farming guide prepared by IFOAM is an important resource.
SCIENCE Technical Control and Certification Inc. has designed the ECOmark ecological product standard in order to protect human health, but especially to prevent the destruction of the ecological balance of the environment, and it carries out certification studies of ecological products. Products bearing the ECOmark ecological product logo guide consumers who want to consume environmentally friendly products.
SCIENCE carries out its certification studies within the scope of the TS EN ISO 14024 standard, taking into account other relevant domestic and foreign standards (TS EN ISO 14024 Environmental Labels and Statements - Type 1: Environmental Labeling - Principles and Methods standard).
The content of the ECOmark ecological product standard is as follows:
• Production activities should be carried out without damaging the natural environment or within certain limit values.
Production work must be carried out in natural conditions.
• Products should disappear quickly and spontaneously in the natural environment.
• The packaging material on the products should not harm the natural environment.
• The certificate does not prove the quality of the products, but still states that they are of good quality.