Betting on Best Quality

Transcription

1 Betting on Best Quality a comparison of the quality and level of assurance of sustainability standards for biomass, soy and palm oil Marieke Harteveld INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE

2 Introduction: Good quality certification needed to attain biomass sustainability Halt the race to the bottom Clarity needed about what good quality certification entails Contribute to the improvement of standards

3 Methodology Part I: A review of benchmarking studies of biomass, soy and palmoil standards systems Part II: Guidance for the selection of best quality voluntary standards systems for the certification of biomass, soy and palmoil

4 Methodology Review of Benchmarking studies Studies analysed: NL Agency, Sustainable Agriculture Initiative, Dutch Soy Coalition, CIFOR, Ecofys, WWF, IEA Bioenergy. Focal points: Standards Content: Environmental (ESM systems, Good Agricultural Practices. Water, GHG emissions, biodiversity and habitat protection). Social (Labour rights & working conditions, dispute resolution (e.g. on land rights), community engagement) System elements: Verification of compliance with standard Multistakeholder participation Audit samples, site visits Accreditation certification bodies Monitoring & evaluation of impacts additional information optained through SQ study

5 Key findings from the Proforest Review Important distinction between the schemes designed specifically for compliance with EU RED, and those with a broader mission Even where a scheme appears to be strong on paper, on the ground there is a great variety in the way this is assessed and verified On aspects as accreditation, sampling requirements, level of verification, stakeholder consultation, complaints procedures, transparency, or recognition of other EU systems the EU-RED lacks guidance or provides room for interpretation leading to unwanted diversity among schemes. Studies focusing on content lack info on the degree of obligation to meet the requirements.

6 What is a good quality Voluntary Standard System for biomass sustainability? Main elements defining VSS scope, approach and complexities: The standard specifying sustainability criteria and their strictness; The quality of control of the VSS, which includes: Chain of Custody where the standard applies to; Level of assurance of the standard There are many similarities between standards on coverage of principles and criteria, but much variation in the strictness of those criteria

7 What is a good quality Voluntary Standard System for biomass sustainability? Sustainability criteria and their strictness, biodiversity as example: All VSS include requirements for the protection and conservation of habitats, however key biodiversity issues like for example the coverage of endangered and invasive species remain unaddressed in most.

8 What is a good quality Voluntary Standard System for biomass sustainability? Main elements impacting the level of assurance of a VSS include: Rules on the audit system The management system Accreditation, membership, recognition by official organisations The rules for the acceptance of certificates from other VSS.

9 What is a good quality Voluntary Standard System for biomass sustainability?

10 What is a good quality Voluntary Standard System for biomass sustainability? Management system: Transparency and accessibility of information Stakeholder consultation Complaints system

11 What is a good quality Voluntary Standard System for biomass sustainability? Recognition of certificates from other VSS: A good level of assurance requires clear and strict rules and guidelines for the acceptance of certificates from other VSS.

12 Indicative ranking based on our analysis

13 Recommendations EC Enhance RED criteria by including mandatory socio-economic criteria and stricter biodiversity criteria, Set more defined and stricter procedures for the recognition of VSS, in particular regarding the level of assurance of the VSS. Set minimum rules for the acceptance of certificates from other VSS. Introduce a procedure for the approval of scheme changes

14 Recommendations Companies Companies that are committed to a good sustainability management should only choose high quality VSS including both, environmental and socio-economic criteria, and a proper level of assurance. The main elements impacting the level of assurance and that should be studied by companies before selecting their best quality VSS include: I. The rules on the audit system, II. III. IV. The management system, Accreditation, membership, recognition by official organisations Rules for the affiliation and for the acceptance of certificates from other VSS.

15 Thank you for your attention Always bet on best quality when sustainability is at stake!