The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) is expanding the Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI)’s scope for benchmarking and recognition to include environmental sustainability, as part of its ongoing commitment to provide a leading industry source for sustainability standards.
As businesses around the world continue to prioritise sustainability and push the envelope on corporate due diligence initiatives that protect the planet and people, complex supply chains can present a particularly difficult challenge. The SSCI brings together consumer goods companies from around the world to drive the global conversation on responsible sourcing and to help shape industry expectations for sustainability.
Today, the SSCI has expanded to include environmental sustainability, in addition to the existing social scope. The SSCI will now provide third-party accreditation schemes with minimum criteria for industry-expected standards of environmental sustainability across:
- Primary production: The environmental impact of farming of agricultural commodities, including animal farming and field packing.
- Forestry: The environmental impact on forests of usage of fibre-based wood, paper and pulp.
- Manufacturing: The environmental impact of conversion and manufacturing sites, including all consumer goods and post farm gate activities.
Didier Bergeret, Sustainability Director of the CGF, said:
“Supply chains are vast, and businesses need guarantees that all stakeholders involved are adhering to sustainable practices. Created by the industry, for the industry, the SSCI supports organisations in their supply chain due diligence. The needs of people and our planet are intrinsically interlinked, so we must keep stepping up as an industry to build trust in social and environmental standards worldwide; extending the scope of our industry aligned criteria to include environmental standards is a critical part of this.”
“We encourage schemes and the industry to follow our social and environmental criteria and to take the leap and apply for benchmarking against our existing social and new environmental criteria.”
Many businesses are turning to third-party schemes and certifications to help them address the complexities of their supply chain visibility. With hundreds of schemes and programmes on the market, it can be difficult for organisations to know which programme to use. This can be made more challenging because not all schemes cover sustainability topics the same way.
The SSCI published its first benchmark in 2019, to recognise the third-party auditing, monitoring, and certification schemes that align to best practice in social sustainability. SSCI established minimum standards for companies’ primary production, manufacturing and processing, and at-sea operations. Since then, four schemes have been recognised under the social scope with several more in progress.
The expansion of the benchmark’s scope comes as regulation is rapidly evolving, with the EU’s Deforestation Regulation coming into effect at the end of 2024.
Tamara Muruetagoiena, Vice President of Sustainability at International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) and Chair of the SSCI’s Environmental Working Group, said:
“Our supply chains have far-reaching impacts and can make a significant difference to environmental sustainability, ecosystem health and fair labour. As a responsible business, we know our supply chain approaches and standards need to stand up to scrutiny – and this is why ensuring trust in the environmental and social schemes we are all using is so critical.”
“By using recognised schemes for social and environmental sustainability, IFPA – and our peers across the sector – benefit from the additional layer of trust that comes from knowing SSCI Recognised standards meet the minimum requirements for sustainability as agreed by the industry.”
To find out more about the new environmental sustainability benchmark, download the criteria and apply for recognition, go to: benchmark.tcgfssci.com