At present, it is difficult not to notice that in the society products described as beneficial for health are becoming more and more popular. Increasingly, on the shelves of shops, we see food and everyday objects with special labels. The products are referred to as eco, bio or organic. What characterizes? Are they definitely different in meaning? We will discuss this in this post.
DO THESE CONCEPTS DIFFERENT?
Opinions are divided. Often the terms eco, bio or organic are used interchangeably. Some say that these words differ only in sound, so they are synonyms defining the same thing.
Even if one accepts this point of view, it should be noted that even word replacements rarely mean the same. They usually put emphasis on something else. Similarly in this case. And even without a thorough linguistic analysis, we come to the conclusion that the terms are related, but each is responsible for slightly different matters.
ORGANIC PRODUCTS
In this perspective, what are the organic products?
According to the lexical description “organic” is belonging to the animal or vegetable world, therefore connected or originating from the organic world. In addition, strict regulations stipulate that a product wishing to be considered organic must contain at least 95% of natural ingredients in its mass.
In the organic production process, it is important to maintain certain standards. The condition of the soil can not suffer. One should strive to remain fertile and, moreover, to make sure that its values continue to increase. Of course, using only natural methods.
The earth can not be exploited. In the long term, it brings poor results. The use of crop rotation, that is, the crop system based on the subsequent occurrence of plants in specific fields turns out to be helpful here. It is a long-term, well-cultivated farming. In addition, it has a preventive application. In this way, plant diseases are prevented.
Organic products do not contribute to the sowing of fields. Their potential is sustained. Many areas, once rich in crops, are currently unfit for use, have been degraded by harmful substances. What is important, along with the earth, the entire assigned ecosystem is lost. A monoculture is being created that replaces lush biodiversity. In order to prevent this, you should also take care of the cleanliness of the groundwater. These, if contaminated, significantly reduce the productivity of the fields.
ECO PRODUCTS
And here we go back to the sources. So what does the “eco” prefix mean? Currently, it is added to very different terms, sometimes the connection is not very reasonable or even ridiculous. However, we will not write about it.
According to etymology, the “eco” prefix is associated with the natural environment. For example, “ecology” specifies science about nature.
So what should eco products be like?
They must arise from the best environmental practices. So they can not disrupt or even destroy any ecosystem. What’s more, they should even support endangered natural systems. In addition, the eco product in accordance with the assumptions consists as much as possible of the natural resources of the earth.
Here it is important to keep the populations of animals and plants present in the crop intact. In the case of threats – according to accepted standards, full protection must be provided to them. Each species plays an important role in maintaining the balance of a given ecosystem; if one runs out, then the state of harmony can be disturbed. You can not approach the issue selectively, or vice versa – as a whole.
Ecological awareness of countrymen is growing year by year. This is confirmed by the fact that the demand for detergents, sometimes referred to as eco-chemistry, is growing. Importantly, their composition contains a minimal amount of harmful substances, so that they do not pollute the soil, air and water. It is also used by people with more sensitive skin – organic chemistry is certainly not as sensitizing as standard detergents.
Environmentally friendly cleaning products are marked with special certificates. Ecolabel is used in the European Union. In order for the product to receive this distinction, all stages of its creation must comply with strict ecological requirements.
There are many ecological signs. It is worth knowing what the most important and the most popular of them convey to us. When buying such a labeled product, we are also in favor of sustainable development.
Among the characters you can find, among others informing us that the packaging is biodegradable. Thus – it decomposes during the composting process and does not emit harmful substances.
Another, equally important and quite widespread, communicates to us that the packaging is recyclable, in other words – recycling. The sign is identified by three arrows pointing to each other, forming a triangle.
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