Standards and Certifications

Introduction

Rising expectations of companies to provide consistent and accurate information about their environmental and social performance has led to a proliferation of certification schemes and standards. While this has provided companies with a range of options to choose from, the level to which certification schemes address biodiversity issues can vary greatly, and many standards do not specifically include ‘biodiversity’ criteria.

This page presents a summary of some of the environmental certification schemes most commonly used in Europe. It also provides an overview of the level to which biodiversity is considered in the design of the standard guiding each scheme, as well as in the certification or verification process itself.

Overview of Standards and Certifications

Certification schemes are usually based on standards which provide the basis of verification. Minimum requirements for certification schemes is set in ISO Guide 59; Code of Good Practice for Standardisation.

Standards essentially set out minimum criteria based on actual performance, processes or outcomes, such as amount of land under protection in ‘good or favourable’ status. Process, or system, standards have been developed to provide guidance where insufficient knowledge or the complexity of an issue makes absolute minimum performance measures impractical. This is particularly true of sustainability and biodiversity issues where it may be difficult to monitor environmental impacts (both positive and negative) due to natural environmental fluctuations over time and seasons and the movements of animal species.

Most standards and schemes provide companies with a structured system to assess their environmental impacts, achieve ways of reducing these impacts, comply with relevant environmental legislation and realise continual environmental improvement. Management standards such as ISO14001 give details on how environmental policies should be implemented and set. Specific criteria and measurements can be used to check whether companies have identified their significant environmental impacts and are working towards improving their performance. It is up to the company, through its consultation and stakeholder engagement process, to determine whether or not biodiversity forms a significant aspect and to develop a plan to manage these impacts.

Certification is a mark of confirmation that a standard has been met. The process of assessing and verifying a company’s performance, or certification, is important not only for verifying what a company has achieved and providing evidence to external stakeholders, but also for mobilising resources internally towards achieving a concrete goal.

Certification processes themselves vary between schemes. The level to which they address biodiversity depends not only on the standard itself but on the expertise of the certifying body or person, who may not necessarily have the ecological and biological experience needed to adequately evaluate biodiversity related issues. The three objectives of the CBD can act as a useful reference point when looking at certification schemes, as can National Biodiversity Strategies and/or Action Plans.

Adequate certification provides credibility and confidence in the standards being met. There are three main methods of assessment against standards. An assessment carried out by the organisation itself is a first party assessment, often described as an internal audit. A second party assessment is carried out by one organisation on another which it has a relation with e.g. customers, trade associations, suppliers. A third party assessment is the most vigorous and involves an independent party to assess the standard.

The certification body itself needs to have obtained a certain quality in order that the whole process from setting the standards to verifying the standards is credible. Certification bodies are audited through a process called accreditation, which is the basis for confirming that certification bodies are operating properly.

Certification is an environmental claim that a company/product follows certain standards and regulations. These claims can be communicated to a company’s stakeholders through labels and/or declarations by a company that they comply with certain standards. A label presents a ‘guarantee of quality’ and it is usual for a company to use them on products in order to provide a mechanism for informing stakeholders about the environmental properties of the product and/or a company’s environmental policy and management.

Environmental labels and declarations are important for ensuring environmental controls are in place along a company’s supply chain. For example, the Chain of Custody certification of the FSC relies on the FSC label marking wood from certified forests which align themselves with the FSC standards. Separation of certified and non-certified wood can be ensured at each stage of processing and with each change of ownership through certified products remaining identified and relevant documentation being maintained with the certified/labelled product.

Chain of Custody requires separate verification at each stage of the process that any wood being classified as ‘certified’ really did originate from a certified forest in order for producers and retailers to be able to make credible claims. Certification of the Chain of Custody has the same basis as for Forest Management (FSC), a standard, certification and accreditation.

The table below provides a guide to some of the common standards and certifications that apply to all companies, as well as some that are more sector specific. A summary of the main biodiversity aspects for each scheme has been provided and further information can be found by following the links.

Click here to view the table