Standards
The Soil Association organic standards have the EU organic regulation as their baseline. In many cases the standards are more robust than those set by EU regulations - in fact, no system of farming has higher levels of animal welfare standards than organic farms working to our standards.
Soil Association Certification or COSMOS?
Until 31 December 2014 you have the choice to apply for certification under either COSMOS or the current Soil Association health & beauty care standards. After this date, all new health & beauty applicants and all new products by existing licensees will be certified only to the COSMOS standards.
For existing Soil Association health & beauty care licensees, any products certified to the Soil Association standard before 31 December 2014 can retain their Soil Association certification, as long as the formulation of the product does not change.
Household cleaning products will also remain under the existing Soil Association health & beauty care standard as they are currently not covered under COSMOS.
Soil Association organic standards 2012 version 16.5
COSMOS standards
Guide to meeting the Soil Association packaging standards
Consultations - have your say
Our standards are set by independent committees made up of Soil Association Certification licensees, industry representatives and consumers. We'll consult you on any changes that will affect your business and the wider industry. In this way, Soil Association organic standards deal with real issues, while maintaining the integrity we've all worked hard to establish. Find out more by visiting the Soil Association consultation pages: