Natural Products
Q1. O’right carries the USDA Certified Biobased Product Label. How does O’right define “natural”?
There is currently no regulatory definition in the cosmetic market for the term “natural” in cosmetic labeling. The closest thing to a definition we have are the guidelines on definitions and criteria for natural cosmetic ingredients and products issued by ISO 16128. The description of the guidelines states that “natural ingredients are defined as ones not obtained from fossil fuels (petroleum products).
The USDA Certified Biobased Product Label indicates that the product has been certified by USDA to display a unique label on products that highlights its percent biobased content. Fifty products and two ingredients of O’right have earned the Certified Biobased Product Label granted by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). These products and ingredients have been tested for biobased content by an American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)-certified third party laboratory using an internationally-recognized standardized analytical method.
In 2019, we took home the top honor at the Sustainable Beauty Awards, further demonstrating our commitment to maintaining the highest standards possible when it comes to our green products.
Q2. What does the USDA Certified Biobased Product Label mean for consumers?
This means that the O’right products our consumers purchase are simple with clean formulas, not of fossil fuel (petroleum) origin and a healthier, better alternative than petroleum-containing counterparts. The label assures our consumers that our products contain a USDA-verified amount of renewable biological ingredients, which replace the need for non-renewable, petroleum-based chemicals. Biobased products play an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions that worsen climate change. The higher global emissions soar, the more earth and the future of humanity are put at risk. So, O’right is determined to keep harmful chemicals away from you and our planet.
Q3. The COSMOS is a globally recognized standard for organic and natural cosmetics in Europe. What makes the USDA Certified Biobased Product Label more credible?
The COSMOS standard is a not-for-profit, international association founded by BDIH in Germany, Cosmebio and Ecocert Greenlife SAS in France, ICEA in Italy and Soil Association in Great Britain. It defines the criteria that companies must meet to ensure consumers that their products are genuinely organic or natural cosmetics produced to the highest feasible sustainability practices. The USDA Certified Biobased Product Label is a federally administered and run label that uses accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) in accordance with ASTM D6866 to quantify the biobased content of a product.
Biobased content testing is completed using ASTM D6866, which costs approximately USD400 per sample. To receive the label, each product undergoes a robust and rigorous third-party certification by an approved laboratory.
O’right has earned the USDA Certified Biobased Product Label for fifty products and two ingredients. Each label displays the percentage of biobased content in the product. It’s like a product’s personal ID!
For more information, please visit https://www.biopreferred.gov/BioPreferred/faces/catalog/Catalog.xhtml
Q4. Why the USDA? Why is the United States so concerned about how natural a cosmetic product is?
In 2002, the USDA initiated the USDA BioPreferred program as part of the Farm Bill with the aim to increase the purchase and use of biobased products. The USDA BioPreferred program designates categories for federal purchasing as well as identifies certification categories for the voluntary labeling initiative.
BioPreferred is transforming the marketplace for biobased products through two initiatives: Mandatory purchasing requirements for Federal agencies and Federal contractors; Voluntary product certification and labeling. We voluntarily submitted our products to have their biobased contents undergo third-party testing at approved independent laboratories. Currently fifty products and two ingredients of O’right have earned USDA certification and the approval to display the USDA Certified Biobased Label, which states its third-party tested and verified biobased content.
For more information, please visit https://www.biopreferred.gov/BioPreferred/faces/catalog/Catalog.xhtml
Part 2：Recycling
Q5. I want to return my empty O’right shampoo bottles to an O’right store to show my support for your renewable plastic bottles!
O’right encourages consumers to recycle and sort their empty bottles and containers at home or at community recycling drop-off sites in accordance with your country’s recycling laws and regulations, regardless of the brand. Many brands have a recycling program that encourages consumers to bring their old bottles to stores in exchange for a reward. But if they fail to make good use and turn those recycled containers into new ones, then frankly it’s just another marketing strategy or gimmick to get people interested.
We are grateful we have so many O’right followers who care about the environment just like us. Every renewable plastic packaging of ours feature a series of numbers, like a personal ID, that tell you everything you need to know about the item: where it came from and what it’s made from. This is called product traceability. All plastic containers that have been properly sorted and recycled according to your country’s recycling system can be reused and renewed into something with new value. As such, O’right encourages everyone to sort their empty bottles and containers at home or bring them to nearby pickup spots in the community. Here in Taiwan, waste recycling trucks will arrive at various locations to collect and transport the recyclable materials to a waste treatment facility. However, your country may have a different way of dealing with recycled waste, but in the end, our mutual and only goal is to make sure that waste is properly recycled, no matter where you’re at. This way, you don’t have to waste time, money and transport emissions bringing the bottles to the store.
Consumer responsibility: Products used up at a store should be recycled at the store; products used up at home should be recycled and sorted accordingly at home. This applies to all brands and any brand. Brand responsibility: Obtain waste materials at waste treatment facilities and turn them into new goods with new value to keep the cycle going. This is O’right’s position on recycle and renew.
For more information, please visit https://www.oright.inc/en/about/4
Q6. Are all the plastic materials I recycle traceable?
It depends on how and where the plastic waste is being treated. Waste that is sent to a waste treatment facility is recycled according to government regulations on recycling. Waste that is sent to stores, on the other hand, could still end up in a landfill if not properly treated by staff.
“The 4-in-1 Recycling Program” of Environmental Protection Administration, Taiwan https://recycle.epa.gov.tw/en/recycling_knowledge_01.html <*Please refer to your country’s recycling treatment process for more information.
Q7. Many brands encourage consumers to return their empty bottles to stores. Isn’t this a great way to reduce energy and lower carbon emissions?
We appreciate everyone’s efforts in recycling. However, most brands that have created a recycling program only accept empty packaging containers from their own brand.
When it comes to recycling, we do not discriminate. When it comes to making the world a greener, cleaner place, all brands are equal. All plastic waste, regardless of the brand, deserves to be recycled through the same approved recycling system.
“It’s so much more than recycling. It’s about giving unwanted waste new life.” O’right transforms recycled plastic into new bottles to continue on the life cycle and give them the chance to be used and valued again.
We also encourage other brands to do the same. Landfills should not be the end of plastics’ life. They deserve so much better, and so does our planet.
For more information, please visit
https://blog.zerozero.com.tw/26885/recycling-indenter-of-oright/
《改變思維 再造塑料新價值》環保署新聞
“Taiwan haircare brand O'right wins Sustainable Beauty Award for 2nd year” https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3571794
Green Products
Q8. How would you define the “green” in O’right products?
Our green products are defined as products that put the health and well-being of people and the environment first; products that are made with agricultural waste. For example, we choose plant-based alcohol made with corn starch instead of chemicals to mitigate impact on humans and the environment. Our natural caffeine is another example of our commitment to protecting the earth’s natural resources and restoring its beauty.
In 2007, we set off on a mission to lead the way in green innovation with the introduction of the world’s greenest shampoo, which contains none of the eight harmful chemicals such as environmental hormones, formaldehyde, plasticizers, colorants and thickeners. With this 8 Free formula, we made a name for ourselves in the cosmetic industry. Recently, we took our green formula to a whole new level, checking vegan, non-GMO, gluten-free and cruelty-free off our list of green goals. We even went on to develop 100% renewable plastic bottles and plastic pumps. We believe that green, innovation and sustainability do not end at the factory gates. The more we age, we more we grow to become something bigger, better and greener.
For more information, please visit https://www.oright.inc/en/research/4
Zero Carbon Products
Q9. People emit carbon dioxide every day. How is zero carbon possible?
Zero carbon refers to achieving net zero carbon dioxide emissions by balancing carbon emissions with carbon removal (often through carbon offsetting). We measure our emissions; then, we come up with a well-thought-out plan to offset our carbon emissions.
In 2010, we introduced the “O’right way;” that is, measuring greenhouse gas emissions related to products, reducing carbon emissions for every product and achieving carbon neutrality for all products and in all operations. We measure our emissions according to international and natural standards, from the raw materials acquisition, manufacturing, delivery, consumer-end, waste management to green resources, green energy, green factory and CSR activities, before bringing the numbers back to zero through carbon offsetting.
As of 2019, O’right has achieved carbon neutrality for 27 of our products and in all of our operations. By the end of 2020, we plan to make all of our products carbon neutral.
For O’right, zero carbon is possible and is a sustainable development goal that must be achieved.
For more information, please visit https://www.oright.inc/assets/csr_report/2018_CSR_en.pdf
