Chapter 2: Key aspects that determine certification schemes’ effectiveness and credibility

CHAPTER 2:

KEY ASPECTS THAT DETERMINE CERTIFICATION SCHEMES’ EFFECTIVENESS AND CREDIBILITY

This chapter examines the effectiveness of certification schemes at addressing global deforestation, forest degradation and human rights abuses associated with the production of FERCs, by exploring the common influencing aspects. The effectiveness and credibility of a certification scheme depend on a range of factors, including: its governance and the independence of its financing, processes and decision making; the strength and scope of its standards; physical traceability in the direct supply chain and the transparency of a corporate group’s1 production activities across its operations (not limited to those directly responsible for the certified product); the way a scheme uses and controls its label and claims; the required frequency of audits and the quality and independence of the auditing system; the auditing system’s level of transparency; the possibility of sanctions; and the rigour with which any sanctions are enforced and implemented. This chapter groups these aspects into five key areas – namely governance and decision making, standards, traceability and transparency, auditing and implementation – and reviews the general effectiveness and credibility of certification schemes in relation to these elements.

© Ulet Ifansasti / Greenpeace 29 June 2013 - Riau, Indonesia. Forest fires in an area of recently deforested peatland near Tanjung Baru village, Pangkalan Kerinci subdistrict in Pelalawan Regency. The village lies beside an oil palm concession owned by PT Pusaka Megah Bumi Nusantara (PMBN), a palm oil company belonging to the Asian Agri group (a member of the RSPO). 1 The AFi defines a corporate group as ‘The totality of legal entities to which the company is affiliated in a relationship in which either party controls the actions or performance of the other.’ See Accountability Framework Initiative, Definitions – Different types of supply chain actors [Website].