NATRUE hosted its Membership Assembly in May when leading experts in the natural and organic cosmetics field gathered in Berlin to find about the organization’s development and discuss the challenges of the sector.
At the assembly 16 new Members were approved from around the world – ten from Germany, two from Turkey, one each from Italy and The Netherlands and two from Switzerland.
The first quarter of 2015 closed with almost 280 new NATRUE-certified products, taking the total to over 4,300 and confirming projections for a total of 1,000 newly certified products by the end of 2015.
NATRUE also reported increased interest from companies outside the EU – with 17% of brands now from outside the EU, up 2% on last year.
NATRUE’s visibility is also expanding, with plans for a new website unveiled at the assembly. Specially tailored content has been prepared – with new sections added for consumers, manufacturers and press – facilitating accessibility to information. New downloadable fact sheets on political, scientific and regulatory issues have also been introduced.
“Political presence in 2015 is even more important than it was when NATRUE was first founded,” concluded Klara Ahlers, NATRUE president. “The EU is working on several new regulatory issues. NATRUE is working as an advocate and ambassador for natural cosmetics and is the only cosmetic association active in all major and relevant bodies. In order for the necessary concerns about natural cosmetics to be heard, NATRUE ensures that facts are substantiated supplemented and incorporated into influential documents. Without NATRUE, certified natural cosmetics would have no voice in Brussels and consumers’ interests could not be defended”.
