USDA and ECOCERT organic certification is not given unless strict procedures and adherences to regulations are followed: 1. All the products must be harvested from non-agricultural lands. They must be grown on trees that are produced naturally in the wild without the aid of human cultivation. For more information on how we collect soapnuts click here. 2. There cannot have been any prohibited chemical applied to the soap nut trees for at least three years. 3. All harvesting procedures must be environmentally friendly. They must be conducive to the continual growth of the soap nut trees, along with all the other species of wildlife and plants in the general area. 4. All soap nuts must be collected from areas a substantive distance from cities and towns. This is to minimize human contamination of the growing environment. 5. All harvesting must be done a reasonable distance from cultivated lands. This is to ensure that no fertilizers or pesticides affect the natural growth of the harvest. The ECOCERT and USDA organic certification companies strictly monitor the harvesting process and ensure the regulations are followed.