Sustainability certifications are often held up as a shining example of the self-regulated free market, with NGOs and businesses coming together to solve international environmental and social problems that governments can’t. Other types of standards include sector-specific schemes such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO); standards for climate and development interventions like the Gold Standard, retailer-led sustainability certification initiatives such as GlobalGAP; This shows that a product or company’s total emissions have been offset with a combination of in-house measures (like reducing energy use, increasing energy efficiency and switching to renewable energy) and carbon credits. Achieving GREENGUARD Certification gives credence to manufacturers’ sustainability claims, backing them with empirical scientific data from … Avoiding the issues of the fair trade model, the Rainforest Alliance don’t guarantee a minimum price to farmers. Compiled is a list that is both comprehensive and easy to understand. The foundation of fair trade is price. One key element of the standard is the compulsory elaboration and implementation of a detailed plan for the development of a sustainable farm management system to assist wildlife conservation. By the end of the course, you will be prepared to take the Senior Certified Sustainability Professional Certification (SCSP) offered by GreenSupplyChain.org. A certificate is a program with an educational focus that can be earned in about twelve months, depending on student achievement. Global Headquarters. 4 Courses. This led to the establishment of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in 1993 (nearly 20 years ago) to drive … One of the major differences to be aware of is based on the level of strictness of the standard. There are over 400 certifications vying for the attention of earth conscious consumers. Their certification process is thorough, requiring a supply chain monitoring system to be put in place by the company, checks for animal testing down to ingredient manufacturer level, and ongoing third-party verification. You don’t just have to work in Social Impact or CSR to feel like you have a purpose. Most standards ref… With sustainability reporting on the rise and a lot at stake for companies, there are several certifications businesses can choose from. Although the Carbon Trust recognise only the highest quality of carbon credits, the Gold Standard, it’s important to know that the effects of carbon offsetting are often difficult to quantify. So let’s take a look at some of the most widely used sustainability certifications, to see how well their claims stack up. The applicable control points under eleven chapters are required to be adhered to within a four-year period. The trend started in the late 1980s and 90s with the introduction of Ecolabels and standards for Organic foodand other products. The Forest Stewardship Council, for example, was created as a partnership between WWF and a group of forest products companies, with the mission not to halt logging in tropical forests (“an expected response”), but to instead “provide economic incentives to keep tropical forests standing.… For example, the Fairtrade standard was developed based on pilot projects with Mexican farmers. 5. The WQA Sustainability Certification Program is currently the only environmental certification program in the world to earn ANSI accreditation to ISO 17065 and ISO 14024 for Type I Environmental Labeling. Other standards were initiated by individual companies, such as Utz Certified (Ahold), Starbucks C.A.F.E. Personal Sustainability 101. There’s also debate over whether Fairtrade has any broader impact: researchers at SOAS found that children worked on Fairtrade farms, and that wages and labour conditions were often worse than on larger, uncertified establishments. 60609-3321 . With the growth of standards and certification as the major tool for global production and trade to become more sustainable and for the private sector to demonstrate sustainability leadership, it is essential that there are ways to assess the legitimacy and performance of different initiatives. But for all its faults, it’s certainly preferable to the alternative of corporations like Nestle and McDonalds defining their own fair trade standards in house: a shift which is already underway. Secondly, leading brands selling to both consumers and to the B2B supply chain may wish to demonstrate the environmental or organic merits of their products, which has led to the emergence of hundreds of ecolabels[citation needed], organic and other standards. A leading example of a consumer standard is the Fairtrade movement, administered by FLO International and exhibiting huge sales growth around the world for ethically sourced produce. Another important distinction is that some standards can be applied internationally (usually with mechanisms to ensure local relevance and appropriateness) whereas other standards are developed entirely with a regional or national focus[citation needed]. Sustainability standards and certifications are voluntary, usually third party-assessed, norms and standards relating to environmental such as IFGICT Standard, social, ethical and food safety issues, adopted by companies to demonstrate the performance of their organizations or products in specific areas. Identify the relevance of sustainability for their home department A recent documentary from German-French network Arte—The Exploitation of Primary Forests: Can an Eco-Label Stop the Forest Industry?—explores issues with the programme all over the world (the FSC denies all of the documentary’s claims): The Rainforest Alliance certification shows that a farm, forest or tourism enterprise has been audited and is environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. featured content. 12 Credits. So, on balance, we tend to favour organic food, clothing and other products, as they’ve been produced with sustainability in mind. Firstly, they emerged in areas where national and global legislation was weak but where the consumer and NGO movements around the globe demanded action. Tel: +1 773-376-9000 PETA is often accused of ill thought through strategies, and its certification program is no exception. So if you want to make a claim about the environmental impact of your company, you may want to look into some certifications to offer some proof about your businesss environmental claims. © 2019 ethical.net | operated by Centre for Applied Ethics Ltd. | 18 Ashwin Street, E8 3DL, London, UK   |. In 2016, 66% of Fairtrade coffee had to be sold on the regular market. [10] GIB and Natixis launched the SuRe® standard at a COP21 event on 9 December 2015.[11]. Many of us will know the particular feeling of first-world guilt that descends when given the choice between the organic, cruelty-free, fair trade-certified product and the product we can actually afford. 4C builds on development projects in Peru, Colombia and Vietnam, involving GIZ, major coffee roasters, and local producers.[6]. [14], The United Nations Forum on Sustainability Standards (UNFSS) is a joint initiative of FAO, UNEP, ITC, UNCTAD, and UNIDO on Sustainability Standards. 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