Ethical champions: MSC, Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, FSC and Co. rewarded for setting highest standards in ethical trade
23 October 2007
Seven pioneering non-profit organisations including the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) have reached the highest standards for credible behaviour in ethical trade by complying with the ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standards.
These organisations are champions of ethical trade and are recognised as the leading consumer and industry standards across sectors such as agriculture, fisheries and manufacturing. Collectively, ISEAL Alliance members represent over US$ 53 billion of retail value in certified products. These products deliver social and environmental benefits to 117 million hectares of agricultural land globally and the workers of over 15,000 factories, fisheries and farms world-wide.
Demonstrating best practice
ISEAL members are the first organisations to be fully compliant with this Code of Good Practice. They were commended for their commitment to best practice in each of their sectors by Richard Howitt, the European Parliament’s spokesperson on Corporate Social Responsibility, at a private event at Chatham House, London.
Richard Howitt: “The ISEAL Alliance is a leading example of collaboration between labelling initiatives. Its members’ compliance with the ISEAL Code of Good Practice gives a clear sign to both governments and industry that these initiatives are the leaders in the field, backed by credible standards and capable of delivering genuine social and environmental change.”
The organisations have become compliant with the ISEAL Code of Good Practice both to strengthen their own social and environmental initiatives, and to encourage other standard-setters to commit to industry best practice for setting social and environmental standards.
The ISEAL Code of Good Practice requires that
- standards are set in open, transparent, participatory processes
- there be a demonstrable need for the standard
- measures are included to ensure that even the most marginalised stakeholders have a say in the standard’s development.
Compliance with this Code strengthens standards and certification systems with regards to their credibility, relevance and ability to deliver meaningful social and environmental change.
What the MSC says
Chris Ninnes, Director of Operations at MSC, comments: “The MSC’s consistency with ISEAL’s unique, international approach to standard setting means that we can continue to distinguish our fishery certification and eco-labelling programme on the global landscape. MSC’s ISEAL membership reflects our dedication to a standard that delivers real environmental benefits. It highlights our resolute commitment to broad stakeholder engagement, transparency, and balanced decision making and it will ensure that our criteria and their application do not create barriers to trade. MSC is proud to be the only seafood eco-labelling programme currently a member of ISEAL.”
About the ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standards
The ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standards was developed through open consultation and is the international reference for setting credible voluntary social and environmental standards. It is referenced by a range of governmental and inter-governmental guidelines as the measure of credibility for recognising voluntary standards. Recent references to the Code include:
- FAO Guidelines on Ecolabelling of Marine Fishery Products (2005)
- World Bank-WWF Alliance criteria for assessing forest certification schemes (2006)
- European Parliament resolution of 13 March 2007 on corporate social responsibility
The ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standards is available to download in full along with case studies from organisations in compliance at www.isealalliance.org/code.
International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labelling Alliance Members
Fairtrade Labelling Organization (FLO) International, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), International Federation of Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), Marine Aquarium Council (MAC), Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), Rainforest Alliance, Social Accountability International (SAI) www.isealalliance.org/whoweare
Further information:
Supporting statements of the seven rewarded organisations and a video of the Chatham House event can be found on www.isealalliance.org/code.
Lucy Glover, ISEAL Communications and Event Coordinator, tel. +44 (0)20 3246 0066, email: lucy@isealalliance.org.
Richard Howitt is the European Parliament’s spokesperson on Corporate Social Responsibility. http://www.richardhowittmep.com/
Examples of changes made to implement the Code of Good Practice are available by request and on the ISEAL website – www.isealalliance.org/code
For any media inquiries please contact media@msc.org.
