The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has developed a special category called “EWG Verified.” It comes with its own label or mark that can be associated with a product. The product must meet “health standards independently developed by EWG’s research team.” The mark is sure to benefit sales of products designed for people interested in “clean” living.

The label costs:

Costs for participation vary widely, generally ranging from hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars per year, based on factors such as company size and stage of development, pricing structure options, number and sales of EWG VERIFIED products, and related considerations. Typical fees include an application fee, evaluation fee and trademark usage royalty or annual flat fee. The EWG VERIFIED license agreements generally are for an initial term of three years and include standard licensing provisions, including with respect to quality control.

“Independently developed” standards? Pay-to-play? Third party certification always seemed a bit scamy to me.