Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI) Launches Public Consultation on Primary Production Scope
PARIS, September 29, 2020 /3BL Media/ - Taking the next step towards building trust in sustainability standards worldwide, The Consumer Goods Forum’s (CGF) Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI) has launched a public consultation on the criteria for its Primary Production scope of its benchmark. The criteria, developed by industry leaders, experts and stakeholders, covers social and scheme management requirements specifically for third-party social compliance programmes evaluating land-based agricultural and aquaculture activities.
The draft criteria were developed by the SSCI Technical Working Group for Primary Production. Additionally, the development also involved the Aquaculture Expert Panel, which was set up in collaboration with the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) and the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH), to review the applicability of the criteria to aquaculture activities. This step was taken as part of the ongoing collaboration between the SSCI and the GSSI to develop a social compliance benchmark tool for the seafood industry. Most recently, the public consultation on their jointly developed criteria for the SSCI’s At-Sea Operations scope took place in summer 2020, the feedback from which is now being incorporated.
The SSCI welcomes comments from the public as part of its commitment to engaging multiple stakeholders, upholding transparency and building trust in social sustainability standards. All stakeholders are invited to partake in the consultation until 1st December 2020 at consultation.tcgfssci.com, where they can view benchmarking documents and leave comments. Feedback can also be emailed to ssci@theconsumergoodsforum.com.
Interested stakeholders are also welcome to join an SSCI Stakeholder Consultation call, which will take place on the 24th November 2020 at 9:00 EST / 15:00 CET. The objective of the call is to set up a direct consultation with stakeholders on the draft criteria. Please register your interest here.
The work of the SSCI remains important as ever as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to impact supply chains worldwide. As members of the CGF Board recently communicated to the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, taking action to uphold social sustainability standards is essential to weathering the impacts of the pandemic. With the SSCI working to build trust in third-party sustainability standards and certifications, the Primary Production scope will aid companies in building resilient supply chains.
— Ends —
About the Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative
The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI) builds trust in sustainability standards worldwide by benchmarking third-party auditing and certification programmes and recognising schemes that meet industry expectations. By providing an open-source list of recognised programmes, the SSCI delivers clear guidance on which schemes cover key sustainability criteria and apply relevant verification practices. The SSCI improves transparency in the market, facilitates decision-making on schemes at both buyer and supplier level and sets the responsible sourcing expectations for the industry. The Initiative initially focuses on social compliance with the potential to expand the scope to environmental compliance. For more information, visit www.tcgfssci.com.
About The Consumer Goods Forum
The Consumer Goods Forum (“CGF”) is a global, parity-based industry network that is driven by its members to encourage the global adoption of practices and standards that serves the consumer goods industry worldwide. It brings together the CEOs and senior management of some 400 retailers, manufacturers, service providers, and other stakeholders across 70 countries, and it reflects the diversity of the industry in geography, size, product category and format. Its member companies have combined sales of EUR 3.5 trillion and directly employ nearly 10 million people, with a further 90 million related jobs estimated along the value chain. It is governed by its Board of Directors, which comprises 58 manufacturer and retailer CEOs. For more information, please visit: www.theconsumergoodsforum.com.
For further information, please contact:
Thomas van Haaren
Senior Manager, SSCI
The Consumer Goods Forum
ssci@theconsumergoodsforum.com
Madelaine VanDerHeyden
Communications Officer
The Consumer Goods Forum
m.vanderheyden@theconsumergoodsforum.com
