February 2010
6 posts
RT @RodaleInstitute: Change.org is looking big ideas to change America. Here’s one: Demand Organic. http://bit.ly/9jUWOE /via @OrganicTrade
How will the ISO 26000 guidance standard on social responsibility stand out from other standards and guidelines? http://bit.ly/aykaAV
ISEAL Alliance letter to European Commision on biofuels certification http://bit.ly/9Z1Yoj (report, pdf)
Comparison of EU Eco-Flower vs. certified organic: http://bit.ly/afvLpw (PDF, French)
What’s a fair salary for corporate responsibility? Participate and find out: http://www.crsalarysurvey.com
Brendan May: Mass-market certification shames upmarket glamour http://bit.ly/aUQ0zz
January 2010
7 posts
ÖKO-TEST overview of #fairtrade and other #ecolabels (DE) http://bit.ly/dhG4Z6
Organic Exchange responds to Organic Cotton Fraud Assertions http://bit.ly/dhh5zZ
Impressive! Half of UK timber and panel market now FSC certified http://bit.ly/aXCbV7
RT @FairtradeANZ: Choc lovers rejoice! Majority of Green & Black’s range set to be #Fairtrade Certified by year’s end. Read more http:// …
RT @RnfrstAlliance: A slide show of the Rainforest Alliance’s 2009 successes: http://bit.ly/dsPByd
RT @GreenBizNetwork: Rugmark/GoodWeave Wins Green America’s Building Economic Alternatives Award http://bit.ly/5gQqLT
http://twitter.com/isealalliance →
December 2009
4 posts
1 tag
Ethical Corporation: Traceability on Track (12/09) →
Sustainability standards like the Forest Stewardship Council, the Marine Stewardship Council and various organic and fair trade certifications pioneered traceability for social and environmental criteria.
The Trade and Environmental
Effects of Ecolabels:... →
United Nations Environment Programme, 2005 (pdf)
September 2009
2 posts
Oxfam Videos on Global Value Chains →
Available: Timber and Coffee; Garments and Flowers; Palm Oil; Gold; Phytotrade; Shrimps; Cocoa; Soy
WatchChristopher Wunderlich on standards and multi-stakeholders alliances in support of Fair Trade (April 2008)
August 2009
2 posts
1 tag
Fairtrade in 2008
By the end of 2008:
There were 746 certified Fairtrade producers worldwide
The estimated retail value of Fairtrade products rose 22% to almost € 2.9 billion
Fairtrade sales grew by 50% or more in seven countries
Despite the onset of the recession no markets fell back
Over 27 million items made of Fairtrade certified cotton were sold, almost double the sales of 2007
Sales of tea, an...
Consumers want greener travel
A Eurostar consumer survey in February 2009 found:
at least half the public across France (56%), Belgium (50%) and the UK (54%) say their commitment to reducing emissions is unaffected by the economic downturn;
for holiday travel, 37% in Belgium, 39% in France and 48% in the UK take the environmental impact into account before booking; and
more than 70% of consumers feel businesses need to...
June 2009
2 posts
Companies get credit for working with credible...
In the June 2009 issue of Ethical Corporation, columnist Greenwasher names some of his favourite companies. Most of them are working with standards systems compliant with the ISEAL Code of Good Practice (incomplete listing):
Chiquita: Rainforest Alliance
Unilever: Rainforest Alliance, MSC
Ikea: FSC, UTZ Certified, Organic
Timberland: SA8000
Kraft: Rainforest Alliance
Marks &...
How many certified?
Social Accountability International (SAI): A SAI report stated that there are in total 1,874 operations with over 1,000,000 workers certified to SA8000. The certified operations represent 67 different kinds of industries in 66 countries.
Fairtrade labelling organization (FLO): At the end of 2007 the FLO had 632 producer organisations, responsible for 1.5 million farmers and workers, certified to...
May 2009
4 posts
4 tags
FAO: The State of Food and Agriculture - Paying...
Consumers of ecolabelled products represent a further source of private sector payments. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which sets standards for sustainable forest management, and the Marine Stewardship Council (see Box 21 on p. 92), which provides standards for sustainable fisheries, are two notable sources of product certification. Both accredit independent certification bodies to carry...
2 tags
Fairtrade goes Bananas
Currently there are over sixty Fairtrade certified banana producers in Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ghana, Jamaica, Panama, Peru, Saint Lucia and the Windward Islands. In 2007, consumers throughout the world bought 234,112 metric tons of Fairtrade bananas.
From: Global Strategy for Fairtrade
1 tag
Fairtrade Facts
The past few years have seen rapid growth of Fairtrade sales in all of the 24 markets represented in the system. This figure grew by 47% in 2007 alone to reach €2.3 billion. Fairtrade sales currently directly benefit over 1.5 million farmers and workers. When considered with dependant family members, this figure rises to 7.5 million.
From: Call for FLO Board Chair
1 tag
Rainforest Alliance Facts
Since 1992, almost 800 certificates for more than 31,000 farms - including small family farms of cooperatives, as well as plantations - in 24 countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Tanzania and Vietnam)...
April 2009
7 posts
As Eco-Seals Proliferate, So Do Doubts - WSJ.com →
Alice Tepper Marlin: Setting the Standard for the... →
A multi-stakeholder movement is bringing real improvement to the conditions of workers throughout the global supply chain. Through the Social Accountability International’s SA-8000 standard, Alice Tepper Marlin has been leading the push to create a credible, comprehensive and efficient verification system for assuring humane workplaces. Along with the cooperation of management and labor,...
Seeking Sustainability: COSA Preliminary Analysis... →
The growing economic value and consumer popularity of sustainability standards inevitably raise questions about the extent to which their structure and dynamics actually address many environmental, economic and public welfare issues. The Committee on Sustainable Assessment (COSA) was formed, in part, to develop a scientifically credible framework capable of assessing the impacts associated with...
Branded! How the Certification Revolution is... →
2 tags
The Global Impact of SmartWood Certification
A study has found that independent, third-party certification for environmentally and socially sustainable management of timberlands has led to vital, measurable improvements in the protection of forests, wildlife, and stakeholder rights worldwide as well as to the long-term economic viability of forestry operations. (July 2005)
1 tag
Forest Certification Facts and Figures
More than 100 million ha forest worldwide were certified to FSC standards in April 2008, distributed over 79 countries.
FSC certified forests represent the equivalent of 7% of the world’s productive forests.
FSC is the fastest growing forest certification system in the world (UN FAO, 2007)
With over 7’500 certificates, the number of companies along the forest product supply chain...
4 tags
This podcast is a recording of a talk by Williard...
March 2009
3 posts
1 tag
“En tres años se duplicó la productividad y también mejoró la calidad en fincas...”
– Workshop participants, Siguatepeque, Honduras, April 10, 2007
2 tags
“Cadbury is to become the first mass-market chocolate brand to adopt the...”
– FT.com / UK / Business - Cadbury wraps up Fairtrade agreement
1 tag
Are we willing to pay more for green products and...
There is strong acceptance of the need to pay higher prices for green products, with 52% saying a 5% price premium is acceptable and 33% allowing a 10% price premium.Three countries go significantly beyond the average, with Japan at 70%, Spain at 70% and France at 68%. In the three Latin American countries we surveyed, there are notable percentages that say they’d agree to a price premium of 20%...
February 2009
5 posts
3 tags
Sustainability - Are Consumers Buying It?
Key takeaways from the study “Sustainability - Are Consumers Buying It?” (PWC, 2008)
Fairtrade food penetration has grown from 20% of shoppers three years ago to 50% now. Organic food purchasing has grown from 22% to 43%. Non-food shows similar growth, albeit from a lower base. For example, the proportion of shoppers buying organic and Fairtrade clothing has grown from 7% three years...
1 tag
1 tag
8 tags
Certification Facts and Figures
Random collection from the Nuremberg Sustainability Conference, 17-18 Feb 09.
Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee purchases have doubled each year since 2003 (from 7m to 54.6m pounds in 2006). The Rainforest Alliance projects its certified beans will account for 5 percent of the world coffee supply in five years, and as much as 10 percent of the world market in seven years. Currently, they stand...
2 tags
IHT: The sweet smell of success at Nestlé
In keeping with the glamour-with-principles theme, Nespresso, like Senseo, stresses the sustainability of its offering. It sources 45 percent of its coffee through farmers who work with the Rainforest Alliance, a New York-based nonprofit group. It aims to lift that figure to 50 percent by next year. Sasha Courville, executive director of the ISEAL Alliance, a global organization for social and...
January 2009
6 posts
2 tags
“Wal-Mart today announced plans to purchase all of its wild-caught fresh and...”
– February 2006, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
1 tag
“Meeting social and environmental standards is not optional”
– Lee Scott, Chief Executive, Wal-Mart (in: Wal-Mart to Toughen Standards - NYTimes.com)
1 tag
“Sam Wilding, at the Marine Conservation Society, says that there are good and...”
– Allegra McEvedy’s guide to ethically sound fish | Environment | The Guardian
1 tag
“Standards “… send a signal that there is an enormous appetite for...”
– The Economist, December 9th 2006
1 tag
“In collaboration with relevant organizations, such as the International Social...”
– Convention on Biological Diversity: “Promoting Business Engagement” (Decision IX/26, 2008)
1 tag
“Organic farming is sustainable and preserves nature. It’s cheap, it...”
– Fred Kugonza, VSO volunteer from Uganda, The Independent, 5 Jan 2008
December 2008
2 posts
2 tags
Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International...
Recent developments in FLO’s membership structure have increased the level of participation of a key stakeholder group, the producers of Fairtrade certified products, in the organisation and strengthened the extent to which their interest are represented in decision making. Until recently, only Labelling Initiatives such as TransFair and Fairtrade Foundation, were formal members of FLO. A vote in...
2 tags
IFOAM explains how it involves external...
The IFOAM Basic Standards for Organic Production (Basic Standards) is an international agreement by the organic movement on what constitutes organic agriculture. IFOAM has consistently consulted members when reviewing its Basic Standards. It considers consultation vital to ensuring the standards accurately reflect the situation of organic agriculture globally. It also allows organisational...