Glossary

Accreditation is a process undertaken by an authorised private or governmental agency which is allowed to conduct certification activities as a certifying agent (usually for organic textiles or more recently textiles made from recycled raw materials).

APEO's (Alkylphenolethoxylates) are heavily restricted surfactants that are known to be toxic to aquatic organisms. They are often used to scour textiles such as in wool processing.

To Audit, is to examine, verify, inspect or correct the manufacturing supply chain, or parts thereof, as part of a periodic (usually annual) examination of a company’s certification.

An audit trail is documentation that can determine the source, transfer of ownership, and transportation of any textile product labelled as organic or otherwise.

Bast fibres are located in the inner core of the stem of a plant. Traditionally separated by a process known as retting. They have a high tensile strength. Examples are jute, ramie, hemp, flax, rattan, soybean, banana, and nettle.

A Biodegradable substance is one which is broken down (or decomposed) by microorganisms and reduced to organic or inorganic molecules which can be further utilised by living systems.

A buffer zone is an area of agricultural land located between a certified organic production operation or portion of a production operation and an adjacent land area that is not maintained under organic management.

Carcinogens are substances whereby a causal relationship has been established in the scientific literature between exposure to the agent and human cancer.

A determination made by a certifying agency that a product or manufacturing/handling process is in compliance with a particular standard or legislation. These regulations are documented by a certificate of operation.

A Certifying agent is any entity accredited by a governing body (such as IFOAM/ISO 65) for the purpose of certifying a product a product or production process as a certified operation or product.