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COSSMA 7-8I2014 3 EDITORIAL Do seals of approval make any sense? score of 98%. The BDIH logo on the other hand was recognised by only 35% of the consumers. 42% of the consumers regarded the test of approval as having rele- vance when it comes to selecting a product to buy. The BDIH natural cosmetics logo enjoyed a score of only 5% for the same point. 49% of those asked regard the con- sumer test programme as trustworthy compared with the BDIH seal, which scored again only 5%. In summary seals and suchlike make sense long term only under the following conditions: l if they are well-known and used during a long period, l if they are defined and controlled by an independent and neutral body, l if the products have traceable, documented criteria and are given an overall, objective test, l if they identify and challenge specific hurdles and so contribute to a long-term product improvement. Seals of approval still pop up like mushrooms, but with what level of recognition and acceptance? It is high time that the industry put its house in order. *The market research company Dialego carried out an update of a survey consulting 1,000 people between the ages of 14 and 69 in May of this year. Oliver Kern presented the results of this survey at the Icada congress on June 25th in Frankfurt. Yours One finding from a new survey* on the image of seals of approval was that they generally have a poor repu- tation. Only 9% of those asked regard such seals as independent and neutral. A large percentage (i.e. 59 %) are of the view that each branch of industry has designed the seal and certificate to ensure that as many products as possible can carry that seal. 50% of the consumers questioned have the opinion that many seals and certifi- cates set standards that are too low, and that the seals and the certificates can be ac- quired without too much expense. Almost half of those asked (47%) are of the opinion that the seals and certificates are too fo- cussed towards the minimum standards and do not necessarily contribute to a higher quality of the prod- uct. And a further 45% are of the view that the seals and certificates are mostly of help to the manufactur- er and the distributor, without offering the consumer any reliable help in making a selection from a number of high priced products. Only 11% of those interviewed believe that they under- stand what the different seals and certificates have to say in terms of testing and guarantees. Yet 17% said that the seals and certificates do in fact set down im- portant product standards. And 19% were convinced that, at the end of the day, there are enough certifi- cates and seals of approval to offer a clear route in the selection of their products. According to Dialego* it is important for the success of a seal of approval that it is known and recognised, that it has relevance when deciding on a product purchase, and that it enjoys the confidence of the consumer. So to what extent do the consumer-oriented product tests and the BDIH logo meet these criteria? The consumer testing logo (German equivalent of “Which”) was well recognised by the public, with a Yours Angelika Meiss Senior editor, COSSMA Follow us on www.linkedin.com/in/cossma www.youtube.de/cossmatv www.twitter.com/cossmamagazine PS: Our QR codes and tablet-compatible e-paper will take you rapidly and directly to TV clips, downloads, book tips and more. Additional information at www.cossma.com/download or you can just scan the QR code! Your access codes for August: User name: cossma8 Password: nature DownloadsDownloads COS1408_03_Edi_GB_COS1406_03_Edi_GB 28.07.14 14:20 Seite 1