NaTrue evolves into International Association as Burt’s Bees of the US becomes first member from outside Europe.

NaTrue has changed its statute from a European Interest Grouping into an International Non-Profit Association under Belgian Law, allowing for comprehensive Membership beyond Europe.

Based in Brussels, NaTrue was established in November 2007 by the pioneers of Natural and Organic Cosmetics in Europe to give the sector its own representation of interests. “The Natural Cosmetics share of the overall cosmetics market is continuously growing and this trend is attracting more and more manufacturers”, says NaTrue President Moritz Aebersold. “But there is still no legal definition and the line between authentic Natural Cosmetics and cosmetics with only few natural ingredients is increasingly blurred. We have to make sure that Natural and Organic preserves its meaning. NaTrue provides the platform to achieve this.”

A common voice
It is important that the Association is open to members worldwide because most manufacturers around the world are small and medium sized companies. They often have no national or regional interest groupings at their disposal.

NaTrue is delighted to welcome Burt’s Bees of the US as its first member from outside Europe. Burt’s Bees is a pioneer of Natural Personal Care in the US and is founded on the same environmental and ethical values that are typical for the sector. Like so many European producers, the company has a very personal history, starting 25 years ago.

NaTrue is now open for worldwide membership
The Association now allows for three types of membership, embracing the sector’s entire supply chain:

• Full Membership - open to manufacturers around the world with an annual turnover above €500.000
• Supporting Membership - open to companies around the world with an annual turnover below €500.000
• Associate Membership is open to companies, physical persons, associations and economic interest groupings around the world that are not producers but otherwise active in the Natural and Organic Cosmetics sector.

“Companies and organisations from outside Europe can join as of now,” says NaTrue General Secretary, Julie Tyrrell. “We are seeing a huge amount of interest in our activities from around the world and this clearly underlines the need for our sector to have its own voice”.

For more information about NaTrue, visit www.NaTrue.org where a brochure on benefits of Membership is also available.


Press Contact:
Julie Tyrrell
NaTrue Secretary General
Square de Meeûs 37, B 1000 Brussels
Tel. + 32 (0) 2 791 7566
E-mail: info@NaTrue.eu
or follow us on www.twitter.com/NaTrue

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