Thirty five participants from media, companies, international organizations and national NGOs learned about the roles and responsibilities of the different components of the certification system (FSC, ASI and certification bodies) and how FSC certification and ASI accreditation actually work. One of the FSC certification bodies operating in the region also shared their experience in certification in the region, explaining how certification works in operational terms and how certificates are issued.

The Forest Stewardship Council through the Africa regional office and ASI then responded to the existing concerns in the Congo Basin. Discussions in the second part of the meeting concluded that:

• There is a lack of knowledge about certification in general (and FSC certification in particular) in the region. Partners and stakeholders are becoming more aware about the benefits of forest certification since the installation of the FSC Regional Office for Africa since September 2010.
• More context-specific marketing and communications activities from certification schemes may be necessary in the regions, as stakeholder involvement is not yet well-developed. Online media is not highly used in the region and therefore most communication needs to be done through direct encounters or participation in meetings with stakeholders.
• In some cases, lobbying towards governments and companies promotes incorrect or misleading messages, which greatly affect the perception of the certification schemes’ performance, as there is little information available directly from the schemes in the regions.
• The media also needs to be informed and trained on (forest) certification and sustainability in order to permit them to better communicate on the subject.

At the end of the encounter, participants unanimously expressed the need to extend such meetings at least to national levels throughout the region, as otherwise the perception of FSC would be below average and achievements would be diluted because of unnecessary complaints and lack of information.

ASI will continue to pursue this framework of active on the ground communication with scheme stakeholders to strengthen knowledge and awareness about accreditation (and its advantages) in certification schemes.

About the Aquaculture Stewardship Council

The Aquaculture Stewardship Council is an international, independent, not for profit organization with the ambition to become the world’s leading certification and labeling programme for responsibly farmed seafood. The ASC standards focus on reducing key environmental and social impacts of fish farming. The standards were created by the Aquaculture Dialogues, an open and transparent initiative with over 2,000 participants including farmers, seafood processors, retailers and foodservice operators, NGOs, government agencies and knowledge institutes.

Accreditation Process

Certification bodies need to be accredited to conduct audits against the new ASC Tilapia standard. For this purpose, Accreditation Services International conducts an independent, objective assessment of each certification body’s compentence, integrity and ability. The ASC Farm Certification and Accreditation Requirements, which build on international best practice in auditing, define the process to be followed by ASC-accredited certification bodies in assessing a producer. The ASC accreditation process is comprised of a number of steps of increasing scrutiny from desk study, to an office assessment and finally the witnessing of a certification body auditor conducting  audit of an aquaculture farm.

Further Information

Certifiers interested in ASC accreditation should refer to the ASC Farm Certification and Accreditation Requirements, Tilapia Standard, Tilapia Audit Manual and Tilapia Pre-audit Checklist, published at www.ascworldwide.org

Accreditation Services International’s portal page for ASC Accreditation can be found at http://www.accreditation-services.com/programs/asc. Direct links to relevant documents are provided below.

Relevant Documents

• ASI-INF-20-121 Intro to MSC & ASC Accreditation
• ASI-INF-20-110 ASC Fee Schedule
• ASI-PRO-20-108 MSC & ASC Sampling Procedure
• ASI-TPL-20-102 MSC and ASC Application Form

If my organisation is not yet accredited for MSC Chain of Custody, how can we be eligible to certify our clients which are planning to handle ASC products?

Your organisation has to go through the full ASI accreditation process (see: What do I need to do to become an accredited certification body?)

When will ASI open up the ASC Chain of Custody accreditation for certification bodies which are already MSC Chain of Custody accredited?

Now. ASI is currently accepting scope extension requests from accredited certification bodies. Requests are reviewed on a first come first serve basis.

MSC released its Certification Requirements v1.2 on 10 January 2012. Annex BE contains the amended requirements for ASC Chain of Custody. Certification bodies wishing to receive an extension of their MSC scope to cover ASC Chain of Custody must submit their revised procedures and templates to ASI for a desk review.

Will certification bodies have to fill in an application form to receive ASC Chain of Custody accreditation?

No. ASI treats ASC Chain of Custody as a scope extension to the MSC accreditation. If a certification body already holds a valid MSC Chain of Custody accreditation, completion of a separate application form is not needed. Certification bodies who do not hold MSC Chain of Custody accreditation have to complete the ASI application form (see point 1).

Is an on-site assessment necessary for the scope extension process?

No, the submitted documents will be evaluated by a desk review.

How long does ASI need to complete the review and to take a decision on scope extension for ASC Chain of Custody accreditation?

If the certification body’s procedures generally conform to Annex BE, a decision on scope extension for ASC Chain of Custody is expected within 2-4 weeks after document submission.

What are the costs involved with this scope extension?

ASI estimates 0.5 – 1 day for review of the certification body’s amended Chain of Custody procedures and documents.

Can the scope extension be conducted during an ASI office assessment?

No, a review of the amended documents will be carried out via desk review.

Will ASI issue a separate accreditation certificate for ASC Chain of Custody?

No, as ASC Chain of Custody is based on the MSC Chain of Custody standard and an amended MSC methodology, no additional ASI accreditation certificate is issued at this stage. ASI will issue a scope extension letter. Achievement of ASC Chain of Custody accreditation will be included on the list of certification bodies.

Will ASI conduct more/additional Chain of Custody witness audits for certification bodies which have received an amended scope to cover ASC Chain of Custody?

Not necessarily. However, if certification bodies due to their amended scope, offer certification services in new regions or for new kinds of operations, this may be considered in the ASI risk assessment and audit planning and may lead to additional witness audits.

When will accreditation for ASC farm standards be available?

The ASC has released its final Accreditation and Certification Requirements mid March 2012. Certification bodies can now apply for accreditation against the ASC tilapia standard. For pangasius, the farm audit guide is expected to be released in due course, and accreditation will be opened thereafter. Accreditation for abalone and bivalves will follow (planned mid-2012).
ASC farm accreditation is a new full accreditation process. However, MSC Chain of Custody accreditation, with the extension to ASC Chain of Custody is a pre-requisite for ASC farm accreditation.

Changes will come into full effect in 2013. Further notable amendments made include provisions for “compliance audits” which were, to date, excluded from the MSC audit “tool box”. Compliance audits allow for the direct auditing of some parts of a certificate holders operation by ASI in case serious doubts are raised concerning the certification body’s competence to identify key problems. “Compliance audits have proven very effective in the FSC scheme, in the organic sector and in other verification systems and are a valuable addition to ASI witness audits in situations of high risk”, says ASI Managing Director Guntars Lagūns.
For further information:

• ASI-PRO-20-108-MSC ASC Sampling v3
• ASI-INF-20-106-MSC Fee Schedule v1.2

Whether or not this was the best CAB meeting is something that might still be open to debate, but by the closing evening, the unofficial consensus was that this  was one of the most positive and constructive CAB meetings yet.

An adequate venue offered by the GSI, and superb moderation work by Roger O’Connell set the stage for a great display of commitment, professionalism, respect and wit in the discussions during  the three main days of the event.

For ASI it was an excellent opportunity to inform CABs about the current status of its operations and the main topics likely to be of high interest to CABs. New Managing Director and vision, changes in the internal structure, changes in staff and roles, 2011 performance, 2012 planning, and improvements in the management of the accreditation process were some of the issues presented during ASI’s main session on Tuesday afternoon.  The full implementation of the Salesforce-based Accreditation Management System (AMS), which includes a user portal for CABs, was one of the improvements best received by the  attendees, and which is expected to further improve the communication with the clients (CABs).

For Robert Hrubes, senior vice-president at Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), the meeting improves “…all communications with ASI. It improves the working relationship. In particular this year it helped to understand the approach to audit planning. The AMS is also very important for the CABs to understand.”

FSC IC also had a very fruitful exchange with the CAB representatives. The FSC team came in to address key issues head on, and responded very professionally to the many questions and observations from the audience.  Upcoming EU Timber regulation, normative and policy updates, trademark issues, Policy of Association, conflict resolution system, and normative interpretation (calibration), were among the topics which drew most attention and energy from all parties.

“Lots of discussions boil down to auditor calibration. This applies for everybody” says Laura Terrall, Quality Assurance Manager for Rain Forest Alliance Cert Division, referring to the importance of aligning normative interpretation across the system. The CAB meeting proved to be a particularly good place for the parties to understand how the others view the same issues.

Overall, the positive attitude by the attendees this year reaffirmed the importance of such a meeting, and paves the way to a continued and improved collaboration, with the important goal of maintaining one of the most credible certification schemes out there. “Of course! Although we are competitors, it is good to meet the people and share the way in which we solve the problems.” said Corris van den Berg, global Chain-of-Custody Manager for SGS, when asked if he would recommend attending this kind of meeting in the future to other CABs.

With almost an entire year still ahead, everyone is now set to keep up the hard work and reap tangible benefits from the 2012 CAB meeting. For ASI, there are very high expectations to meet this year and with the current levels of confidence, energy and motivation, the accreditation body aims to meet and surpass those expectations.

Guntars Lagūns, Managing Director at ASI, noted that “Indeed, this was the best meeting in terms of collaboration between FSC, accredited CABs and ASI. I am very glad to see that despite all the challenges we face in our daily routines, everybody maintains such an incredibly positive attitude to address issues and seek the best possible solutions”. He added “my team and I are already looking forward to next year’s meeting.”

The 2013 carnival season will bring yet another chance to take the pulse of the system.

I believe that ASI is on the best grounds it has ever been. I am proud and delighted to be part of a team of such committed and professional people. At our staff retreat this month, this small model United Nations from more than ten nationalities and locations shone with its global insight and personal stories.

I am grateful to the previous ASI management, Sam Ponder and Carlos Ruiz-Garvia, for their efforts to build world-class systems to manage accreditation data and processes. With this foundation, we are best positioned to provide a consistently high level of service to our customers – and ensure assurance and trust in certification.

ASI starts into the year with two new accreditation programs – the Aquaculture Stewardship Council and the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil. With now four global programs, we are grateful for the trust our customers place in ASI as a global specialized accreditation body.

I am looking forward to working with all of you.

The MSC Chain of Custody System has been opened up to ensure traceability for products derived from ASC farms. The MSC Certification Requirements v.1.2 (link to MSC Document centre), released 10 January, contain an amendment (Annex BE), which details the minor differences between chain of custody assessments for products derived from MSC wild capture fisheries and ASC farms. Once certification bodies have demonstrated to ASI that differences in chain of custody certification of MSC and ASC products are understood and reflected in their operational procedures, they may conduct (combined) chain of custody assessments for both seafood product types. Several certification bodies have already sent their amended chain of custody procedures and checklist to ASI for review.

Due to the fast growth both in the number of certificates and the certified forest area, South East Asia and Latin America are of critical importance for the Forest Stewardship Council. Last year, ASI increased its presence in these regions – in 2012, ASI intends to sustain its vigilance.

All FSC accredited certification bodies operating in China, India, Vietnam and Chile will be sampled under the provisions of the FSC sampling procedure. This applies to both chain of custody and forest management certification.

Other hot spots on the sampling map for 2012 are Brazil, Bulgaria, USA, Russia, Australia and Spain – common examples for the success of the FSC certification scheme.

In addition to the 220 regular assessments planned for 2012, ASI intends to continue to take advantage of tools for enhanced control and flexibility, such as the compliance audits. This type of audit has proven to be very effective in dealing with situations on the ground which may not be foreseeable in the yearly planning and which provide ASI with the procedural resources to be able to respond swiftly to potential threats to the credibility of the system.

Furthermore, the development and implementation of new compliance control mechanisms, such as the (non witness) short notice assessments, will provide ASI will with more procedural tools than ever before, in order to effectively protect the integrity of the FSC certification scheme, wherever the issues may appear.

All upcoming assessment can be viewed on the ASI website.
For more information, please contact Uriel Barrantes, FSC Accreditation Program Officer.

Accreditation Services International (ASI) has run a pilot project with Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), working towards accreditation of its certification bodies in Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea.

Project leader Simon Armstrong reports: “We have evaluated the certification bodies through an office audit and through field witness assessments – actually going to see them doing audits in the palm oil plantations. We also undertook a review of the practical limitations of RSPO applying its standards in the field.

“The main feedback across the stakeholder network was an improved perception of credibility because of the work that ASI and RSPO has done together. There is now more of a sense of a level playing field which is a great benefit to certification bodies because it ensures they are competing evenly. This also means benefits for clients with a consistent performance level from certification bodies, and interpretation of certification requirements.”

As regular readers of this newsletter will be aware, palm oil is a major, global agricultural commodity with production currently dominated by Malaysia and Indonesia although there are growth forecasts involving countries around the Tropics. It’s used as a cooking oil, in a very wide range of processed foods and also in non-food products from biodiesel to cosmetics. Although it’s a very green source of oil in terms of its energy use per hectare – its popularity as a crop reflects a desire for economic development in some of the world’s poorer countries – palm oil is not without controversy. Contentious issues include deforestation and habitat loss for endangered species. Simon takes a balanced view.

“In Malaysia and Indonesia, the positive social impacts of production are clear to see,” he says. “If you drive through rural areas with no palm oil monoculture but high levels of biodiversity, then education opportunities, health care and the general economic outlook for local people are sorely limited. Conversely, in neighbouring areas where palm oil is produced – bringing jobs and infrastructure – the standard of living is markedly higher. This contrast throws a spotlight on the whole issue of land management and the need to balance truly sustainable agriculture with improved life prospects for local people.

“The work that ASI has done with RSPO balances economic and environmental issues, helping to set a workable standard for sustainable palm oil production in the face of market demand.” Simon also notes that the service that ASI has provided to RSPO represents a milestone in the development of ASI itself. “Where there is often intense stakeholder engagement, ASI has shown it can work locally, navigate these relationships and improve what’s happening on the ground,” he says. “We offer a considerable wealth of experience in strengthening certification standards at the sharp end, where complex social and environmental issues interact.”

“This growth does not only apply to the export market”, explains Alistair Monument, FSC Asia Pacific Director. “Green building is booming in China and in Japan, leading to further demand for FSC certified materials.” At the same time, consumer awareness of the FSC logo in Hong Kong has reached 29% in 2011 with many companies now using FSC paper and packaging for both export brands and also domestic use.

Of course, the current expansion comes with its own challenges. According to Alistair, many schemes have struggled to keep up the integrity in their certificates in places like China, Vietnam and India. Governments play a particularly important role and schemes need to work closely with the authorities to ensure an open and clear regulatory environment for certification schemes to operate effectively.

In the past years, Accreditation Services International has increased the intensity of assessments in these areas and encouraged additional training and awareness raising activities. In addition, the Forest Stewardship Council is moving to an online traceability platform to increase the integrity of supply chains.

Seafood certification schemes like the Marine Stewardship Council and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council have also made progress in Asia, with MSC having worked closely with ASI on supply chain integrity in China. “Once the ASC opens its doors for business, we expect a lot of interest from companies in Vietnam, Indonesia and other Asian countries”, explains Sönke Fischer, ASI Senior Accreditation Program Manager. A group of certification body auditors has already received training on the correct application of the ASC Tilapia and Pangasius farm standards.