London, 23 October 2007 – Seven pioneer 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.
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.
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.”
The ISEAL Code of Good Practice requires that standards be set in open, transparent, participatory processes. It demands there must be a demonstrable need for the standard and includes measures 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.
