BCS EURÖKO NEWS - BCS Korea

B C S EU R Ö K O N EW SYour Organic Certification Service 1/2015Official Newsletter of the Certification Body DE-ÖKO-001

Independent - competent - consequent

BCS EURÖKO NEWS EN_1-2015; Responsible for the content: Dipl.Agr.Oec. Peter Grosch, Marientorgraben 3-5, 90402 Nürnberg; page 1 / 16

Peter Grosch, BCS-founder andManaging Director Kiwa BCS Öko-Garantie GmbH

Content

Foreword by Peter Grosch Page 1-3 Foreword by Dr. U.Ellinghaus Page 3-4

News about the standards EU-Organic-VO 834/2007 Current changes Page 4-6 Export Taiwan Page 6

oChinese Organic Standard Page 7oKOC Korean Organic Certification Page 7oGlobalG.A.P. Page 8-9oFairTSA Page 10-11oGOTS Page 11-12oUTZ Certified Page 13

BCS-Profile Page 14-15

BCS-Contact-List Page 16

Foreword by Mr. Peter Grosch

Dear readers, dear friends,

It is natural when a phase in life comes to an endto take a look back and evaluate events. Thathas always been my style, and I have no wish todeviate from this course as 2014 gives way to2015.

I have already told you that I sold my company toKIWA GmbH in Hamburg, Germany, at the begin-ning of August 2014. Primarily it came down toage, and the fact that I devoted sufficient timefinding the right partner, and believe that I havenow made the right decision. What I want to doand intend doing is to carry on working here andthere for a while yet, as I believe that my 25years of experience with the ‘organism’ that isBCS can contribute usefully to its future, hope-fully a successful future.

Of course, there are plenty of clever and respon-sible heads to take the initiative right now, al-lowing me to gradually step back from opera-tions. In return, I will work on integration athome and abroad, and so will continue to enjoycontact with you.

Responsibility for managing BCS’ affairs withinKIWA lies with Dr. Ulrich Ellinghaus. He too hasmany years of experience in organic farming. Asyou well know, BCS has access to a large squadof time-served ‘organic insiders’ and my succes-sor can look forward to a complicated balancingact, although nowadays it is often more im-portant that business managers have tools andexpertise in many other areas too: Knowledge ofbusiness and management practices is as im-portant as legal expertise. It is a multi-faceted,demanding role!

As a result, you can rest safe in the knowledgethat BCS will continue to understand the truemeaning of BIO. A highly qualified team support-ed by the latest information technology ensuresthis.

Sadly the same cannot always be said for theEuropean Union, and it seems that the concernsthat I expressed in the last BIOFACH regardingthe revision of the relevant organic farming regu-lation have unfortunately been confirmed. Morehappily there is a strong counter-movementcampaigning against these developments, and wecan continue to hope that the rules on what doesand does not constitute organic farming are notdecided in the laboratory. Product certification




alone has been widely exposed to the possibili-ties of fraud, and surely they cannot seriouslyhope to pass this off as increasing consumer safe-ty.

Nobody is infallible, but neither should wisdombe taken for granted. This seems to be what hashappened to the bureaucrats in Brussels!

I am enjoying the opportunity to look back overthe path that my life has taken, that I have fol-lowed without necessarily planning to do so. Andthank goodness I did! The initial concept and thecreation of the company Bio-Control-System Pe-ter Grosch GmbH, as it was called then, allowedthe right ideas to be conceived at exactly theright time.

I wrote a lot about history in these pages on theoccasion of our twentieth anniversary in 2000,and I do not wish to repeat myself today. How-ever, I remember with fondness and gratitudethose who accompanied me on this journey, en-abling me and helping me to make the idea areality. From the beginning these were Dr.Volker Rusch and Dr. Kurt Zimmermann fromHerborn, and of course, the “father” of organicfood distribution, Ernst Werner Schmidt.

I have memories of great successes, and of des-perate disappointments. I reflect on times whenwe feared for our very existence, and then tothose instances of great joy for life as well as themoments when death seemed more imminentthan ever. My time with BCS gave me all of theseexperiences, and they shaped both me and thecompany. Overcoming problematic situationsmade us stronger, but the belief and trust thatmarkets and people throughout the world placedin us never went to our heads. We are fullyaware of the responsibility we have to our clientsand our employees – not to mention to our cre-do, this ‘basic law’ that governs everything wedo and that will not change with new ownership.

It is the right time for me now to regard what Ihave come to see as my life’s work with pride,even if that was naturally only possible in collab-oration with many others, as is so often the case.The key decisions to follow one or the otherpath, and the risks in taking that first step in theright, or the wrong, direction, were mine alone,however. And in nearly all cases I would do ex-actly the same again.

In my early career I helped bring the debatearound organic farming down to earth, and tosecure greater respect for the activity. For many

years I had the honour of helping shape policy atthe Bioland association. During my work for De-meter, I was entrusted with the task of givingnew impetus to the organisation. And with thefoundation and development of BCS, I have cre-ated something that has been globally effective.

In many countries of the world I not only person-ally helped to set equivalent standards, but al-ways saw it as my role to teach and embody theprinciples of organic farming, not with a narrowfanaticism, but by focusing uncompromisingly onthe core truth while keeping people at the fore-front of my mind.

That, too, helped with our credibility and image,and I sincerely hope that this approach remainsfundamental to our work: our ability to adapt toother cultures, an understanding for the situa-tion of small farmers, an awareness of the ex-treme need and existential fears for agriculturein so many areas of the world and the capacity torespond appropriately in all that we do and say.Here too, the respected standards must not bediluted, but neither can we allow ourselves tobecome unfeeling formalist apparatchiks, cling-ing bureaucratically to the letter of the law.

Reflection is a good way of ensuring that pasterrors are not repeated, but without lookingforward we cannot create anything new – and weneed something new, something better! The BCSthat you know is doing good work, but it can andmust be more comprehensive, more completeand simply better. Kiwa BCS will see that this isdone!

- We will always be in the position of try-ing to balance truly great service withthe risk of cosying up too closely to ourclients: So while we have targeted addi-tional services for our clients,

- the quality of our certification productswill be pursued without compromise. Or-ganic farming cannot tolerate ambiguity!

- We do need to respond faster, however,and improve our speed of processing, re-ducing the time needed between inspec-tion and award of certification.

- Together with Kiwa we have new syner-gies and a more comprehensive portfolioKiwa BCS can simply offer more.

These are just a few examples of the benefitsyou will see as clients. We have already made




some substantial plans and will continue to workhard on realising these.If I take a first step towards a long goodbye to-day, then initially it is only from the front-row ofoperations. I am and will remain BCS. I will stayon as Managing Director and will be able to focusmore on integration and strategy, both in domes-tic and international contexts. I firmly believethat my new colleagues at Kiwa will succeed intaking us forward.

The initial signs are certainly extremely promis-ing. We can still do a lot more together.

Many kind regards and best wishes,

Your Foreword by Dr. Ulrich Ellinghaus

Managing Director of Kiwa BCS Öko-GarantieGmbH and Kiwa Deutschland GmbH

Dear readers,

Dear customers and partners of BCS,

As the joint Managing Director of BCS I am veryhappy to have this opportunity to welcome youpersonally. As you have surely already heard,Kiwa acquired a 100% shareholding in BCS Öko-Garantie GmbH with effect from 1 August 2014.We would like to take this opportunity now toaddress some key points for you.

What did BCS stand for in the past, and what willdefinitely not change in the future? I refer herespecifically to the ten guiding principles of BCS,which have formed a fundamental part of ourcompany culture for many years and will contin-ue to do so.

Our core business remains the “Inspec-tion – Testing – Certification” of organicproduce on the basis of the EU organicfarming regulation and a range of sus-tainability standards.

We will not only retain our global pres-ence but continue to expand it in key ar-eas.

In the scope of our work, we view all ap-plicable standards for organic farming tobe binding for us.

Absolute independence remains the con-stant foundation of our credibility andreputation – we must therefore strive toavoid conflicts of interest.




Our role is also to protect the interestsof reputable providers and trusting con-sumers, to provide and reinforce thecredibility of organic produce. There-fore, BCS will continue to work on behalfof and lobby for organic farming.

We also seek to uphold social compatibil-ity and sustainability and support thisthrough the development and independ-ent certification of corresponding stand-ards.

To accomplish this we will continue torequire teams of capable employees whohave international experience and areable to recognise and evaluate potentialrisks objectively and realistically.

Fairness, respect and equality underpinour daily activities, both internally andexternally.

In addition, values such as truth and sin-cerity are fundamental business princi-ples by which we measure ourselves.

We believe not only in inspecting andcertifying organic principles, but in in-corporating them into our own profes-sional activity.

And what will change in relation to these afore-mentioned principles for you in the future?

Well, in our core “Inspection – Testing –Certification” business you can alreadyaccess and use a range of new standardsfor agriculture and food, such as IFS (In-ternational Food Standard), BRC (BritishRetail Consortium), MSC (Marine Stew-ardship Council), and SA 8000. These arecomplemented by international stand-ards such as ISO 14001 (environmentalmanagement), ISO 50001 (energy man-agement) and Occupational Health andSafety (OHSAS 18001).

In addition, topics such as energy andmaterials efficiency, certification of per-sonnel and qualifications, support forquality management activities and sup-plier qualification and auditing are justsome of the additional matters that youare welcome to ask us about.

We are also ready to act with you and foryou in even more countries around theworld. Let us be your guide in procuringand ensuring a supply of raw materials inspecified regions and countries.

So you see, BCS and Kiwa doesn’t just mean acontinuation of high-quality collaboration with atrusted partner, but will also provide you withaccess to a significantly enhanced portfolio ofservices.

We will therefore remain at your service as atrusted, competent and innovative partner in thefuture. I look forward to working with you.

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Ulrich Ellinghaus

News about the standards

EC Regul. 834/2007by Mr. Reiner Claus –Head domestic department

Current Changes in the organic regulations

Agriculture

Poultry

Currently inspec-tion offices areobliged to focustheir attentionmore on poultryoperations. A reg-ulation applying toall federal Länder

has been introduced by the German Länder work-ing group on organic inspection (LÖK). As a re-sult, facilities with more than 5999 poultry unitsfor laying hens must now be subject to inspec-tion of hen placements. We request that theaffected facilities provide us with at least fourweeks’ notice of entry dates for laying hens.Equally, operations with facilities holding morethan 9600 units for broilers (chickens for fatten-ing) and more than 4800 for pullets must provideat least two weeks’ notice of their exit. Pleasealso arrange the time with us/the inspector. Weask that large-scale poultry operations provide us




with details of their planning of throughput ofbirds for fattening/rearing with correspondingdates (entry and exit) in advance each year. Anychanges to these plans must be communicatedimmediately.

In this respect we also point out that the statuto-ry requirements on organic poultry husbandry(including numbers of birds, area and dimen-sions) must urgently be met. Any deviations fromthese standards will generally result in with-drawal of the organic production label for theentire production.

Fertilisers and other lists

Regulation (EU) No 354/2014 has amended someof the Annexes of Regulation (EC) No 889/2008and corrected the formulation in respect of phy-totherapeutic and homeopathic products. Thechanges have revised the conditions for use ofcomposted household waste, biogas digestate,and products and by-products of animal origin.Leonardite has been added to the Regulation.

The usage requirements for plant protectionproducts have been amended and some sub-stances, such as copper octanoate, have beendeleted.

The list of feed materials of mineral origin hasbeen revised. The use of monocalciumphosphateand dicalciumphosphate is now permitted onceagain.

Extension of the purchase option for conven-tional laying chicks and conventional high-protein feeds

With Regulation (EU) No 836/2014, a range ofexceptions have been extended until the end of2017, including the opportunity to purchase con-ventional pullets and use conventional high-protein feeds for up to 5% of the annual feedration for pigs and poultry.

Changes to the procedure for granting excep-tions

In the Federal Länder of Hesse, Rhineland Palati-nate, Saxony and Bavaria, the responsibilities forissuing exception permits have changed witheffect from 1 January 2015. Fundamentally, from2015 inspection offices in these Länder may nowonly issue exception permits for non-organicseeds and non-organic propagating material.

The following exceptions are approved by theresponsible authorities:

Conventional animal purchases (Article 9para. 4)

Interventions on animals (Article 18 para.1)

Use of the additives sodium nitrite andpotassium nitrate (Article 27)

Retrospective recognition of areas (Arti-cle 36 para. 2)

Application in small operations (Article39)

Placement of conventional poultry (Arti-cle 42)

The corresponding request is submitted to theinspection office and forwarded by us to theresponsible authority. Please note the specificrequirements for individual countries.

Food processing

Food labelling

Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision offood information to consumers entered into forceon 13 December 2014. Among other aspects, thisredefines the rules on a range of food labelling.The amendments relate to various mandatoryitems of information, allergen labelling, font sizeand placement. If you have not already done so,please obtain information from the responsibleoffices (authorities, associations, etc.). In im-plementing these changes, please do not ignoreorganic farming legislation. In relation to pre-packed food, the mandatory labelling block com-prising the EU logo, code number and statementof origin must be noted. In addition, informationmust be provided which of the ingredients usedcome from organic production.

Trade with Romania

In the case of trade with Romania please notethat organic produce from Romania must be ac-companied by a “transaction certificate” or TCissued by a permitted inspection office. YourRomanian trading partner must provide you withthis document. If you do not have this documen-tation, you run the risk of having your organicproduction label removed. This may also result inthe recall of goods from retail.




Imports

Third-country list and list of equivalent controlbodies

With Regulations (EU) Nos 355/2014, 644/2014and 829/2014, the lists of recognised third coun-tries (Annex III of Regulation (EC) No 1235/2008)and the list of third-country control bodies rec-ognised by the EU (Annex IV of Regulation (EC)No 1235/2008) have been amended. Alongside agreat many detailed regulations, the controlbody LibanCert has been deleted from the list ofEU-recognised third-country control bodies, forexample. We ask that as an importer of organicproduce you take note of the changes to thecurrent annexes. Changes to the import regula-tions have a direct impact on the ability for im-ported organic produce to be bought and soldwithin the EU.

Third countries – application deadline expired

Under Regulation (EU) No 442/2014, with effectfrom 1 July 2014 third countries are no longerable to apply for entry to the third-country list.

Notification of imports from third countries

Please notify imports (Article 84) to us in ad-vance using our dedicated email address “[email protected]”.

Exports to Taiwan(see also additional text by Mr. W. Broszat)

Companies that export organic produce to Tai-wan must take note of the strict import controlsimposed by the Taiwanese authorities. Taiwanpermits absolutely no pesticide residues in or-ganic produce. When applying for a transactioncertificate, please provide us with a batch-identified residue analysis.

List of control bodies and authorities

The list of currently permitted control bodiesand authorities can be queried using the OrganicFarming Information System (OFIS) of the Euro-pean Commission (link:http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/ofis_public/).

Exports to Taiwan

Wolfgang Broszat,Certifier, Intern. Department

Pesticides analysis required

Taiwan is an interesting sales market, and notonly for German organic producers. While thecountry has its own organic farming standard,thanks to its unilateral recognition of other na-tional organic standards BCS customers can ex-port their products to Taiwan without the needfor additional certification. However, alongside avalid certification, there is another pre-requisite: Imported organic goods must be abso-lutely free of pesticide residues!

Taiwanese customs conducts random inspectionsduring the import procedure and tests samplesfor these residues. In the past months a range ofdifferent organic products destined for the Tai-wanese market have tested positive.

In the interests of our customers and to ensurethat the credibility of organic produce from theEU and the EU standard is not put into question,since December 2014 and until further notice,any product to be sold to Taiwan by a BCS-certified company anywhere in the world is sub-ject to mandatory pre-shipping/export analysisand approval by BCS.




Chinese organic farming standardby Wolfgang Broszat

China – country of the (organic) future

China represents a massive growth market, andnow the organic sector is attracting the attentionof a range of food processing companies, as evi-denced by the increasing demand. Organic prod-ucts that are exported to China and/or destinedto be sold there must be certified according tothe Chinese organic standard (GB/T 19630); theChinese authorities do not recognise certificationaccording to any other organic farming standards(e.g. in line with the EU organic farming regula-tion). In the last issue of EurÖko-News we in-formed you of the key aspects of this procedure.

BCS is cooperating with the renowned Chinesecontrol body COFCC (China Organic Food Certifi-cation Center), which carries out both inspectionand certification. Nevertheless, BCS should beyour first port of call when requesting certifica-tion and for any general queries. We will supportand help you during the process to ensure thatyou obtain your certification quickly and withoutproblems. Please contact our BCS representativein China by email [email protected].

In many aspects the Chinese organic farmingstandard does not differ greatly, if at all, fromthe requirements of the EU organic farming regu-lation, the NOP or JAS. However, there are somespecial requirements including the establishmentof a management system. Particular emphasis isalso placed on the quality of the environmentand the end products. This must be regularlydocumented by carrying out appropriate anal-yses. A summary of the Chinese standard can befound on our website.

Application forms for certification and a descrip-tion of the process can be downloaded from theCOFCC website(http://www.ofcc.org.cn/en/index.php?optionid=968 - and …=967) – or contact us to receivethe documents by email.

Equivalence agreement between theEU and South Korea

Tobias Fischer,Certifier Intern. Depart-ment

Finally the European Commission concluded amutual reciprocal agreement of organic equiva-lence with South Korea. The agreement is validstarting February 1st and will stay in effect for 3years to start with. The agreement will, howev-er, cover only processed agricultural products forthe use as food (product category D). This meansunprocessed agricultural products must still becertified to the Korean organic regulation in or-der to be imported into Korea.

The terms of the agreement are as follows fromthe EU perspective:

1. Processed food with at least 95 % of or-ganic ingredients

2. Organic ingredients coming from EUorigin or imported into the EU

3. Final processing within EU

4. Product “EU” certified by a control bodyapproved in accordance with article 27 ofregulation EC 834/2007

5. Labelling compliant with the Korean or-ganic rules

6. Possibility to use the Korean organic logoor the EU organic logo, or both

7. Product must be accompanied by a NAQSimport certificate.

At the time when this article was written theofficial announcement of the formalization ofthe agreement was not yet published.




GLOBALG.A.P

Martina Chacón Provoste, Scheme Manager

The number of producers certified by Glob-alG.A.P. is continuing to grow around the world,exceeding 140,000 by mid 2014 (132,000 certi-fied producers in December 2013).The GLOBALG.A.P. International Farm Assurance(IFA) standard is revised every four years. Duringthis period, comprehensive research, discussionwith interest groups, pilot and test audits areconducted along with public consultations. Thereview process is open to contribution from cer-tification bodies, dealers, research centres, uni-versities, NGOs, suppliers and producers, GLOB-ALG.A.P. National Technical Working Groups(NWTGs), producer organisations, standardsowners, consultants and the animal welfare sec-tor.

The final version will be published in June 2015.During a one-year transition phase, it will bepossible to continue to obtain certification underversion 4.0. From June 2016, all certification willbe subject to version 5.

What are the plans for version 5?There will be new control points, and changes tothe degree of control points, while some recom-mendations are becoming non-critical criteria,and some existing non-critical criteria are tobecome critical mandatory criteria.The changes mainly relate to sustainability, mi-crobial risk mitigation and work safety, such as:

Critical mandatory criteria: Water risk evaluation must also take ac-

count of environmental factors and qual-ity criteria.

Water consumption records are required. Non-composted dung must not be spread

less than 90 days before planting or lessthan six months before harvest.

Non-critical mandatory criteria:

Worker transportation must comply withnational safety requirements.

In addition, diesel and other fuel tanksmust be equipped with retaining tanks.

Fertilisers must be sourced from legallyrecognised sources.

A plan must be in place for soil manage-ment.

Measures to improve the soil structuremust be documented.

Irrigation system maintenance recordsare required.

Plant protection records must indicatethe time at which the application stopsas well as information on weather condi-tions.

Annual medical checks for people work-ing with plant protection materials havebeen upgraded to become a non-criticalmandatory criterion.

The complete draft version of the individualmodules for Version 5.0 can be consulted atwww.globalgap.org/documents or downloaded.

New version of GLOBALG.A.P. Sublicence agree-ment

With effect from April 2015, the new version 4.0of the licence agreement between FoodplusGmbH as standard owner and the control bodieswill become valid. As a result, all sublicenceagreements between control bodies and thebusinesses to be certified must be updated.The update process will start in May 2015, sothat as part of their next certification processeach business will receive a new version of thesublicence agreement from us.

What is new?The new sublicence agreement contains allGLOBALG.A.P. standards, including supply chainand additional modules.

Data release rules are no longer listed in thesublicence agreement, but are now published ina separate annex.The name and location (city and country) of thecertificate owner must now always be visible inthe GLOBALG.A.P. database. Disclosure of addi-tional data (such as business address or infor-mation on producer group members) remainsoptional.




The sublicence agreement is translated into arange of languages. The original English versionof the document is already available atwww.globalgap.org/documents.

Updates to the Plant Propagation Material(PPM) standard

Many fruit and vegetable (F&V) producers orflower and ornamentals (F&O) producers alsoproduce and sell plant propagation materials forthese product groups. For version 5, which willbecome mandatory with effect from June 2016,it is planned to integrate the PPM standard withthe IFA standards. A PPM module checklist hasbeen drawn up to allow equivalent use until thattime.

Key rules governing use of the PPM modulechecklist:

1.) The producer must already have certifi-cation for the fruit and vegetables (F&V)or flowers and ornamentals (F&O) prod-uct groups.

2.) The certification may apply to differentproducts, e.g. tomatoes for F&V andpepper seedlings for PPM.

3.) Producers who exclusively produce plantpropagation materials must continue topursue certification according to theseparate PPM standard.

Friend of the Sea (FOS) additional module

Within the aquaculture market, demand is alsogrowing for the ability to communicate the certi-fication status to consumers.A cooperation agreement now exists betweenGLOBALG.A.P. and FOS to allow GLOBALG.A.P.-certified aquaculture businesses to use the FOSlogo in combination with their GLOBALG.A.P.number (GGN) on consumer packaging. To do thisthey must have a valid IFA aquaculture certifi-cate for the entire production chain and mustmeet with four additional control points at pro-duction operations level.With GLOBALG.A.P. version 5, these points willform part of the GLOBALG.A.P. checklist.

GRASP additional module

GRASP stands for GLOBALG.A.P. Risk Assessmenton Social Practice, a voluntary additional moduleto help risk assess the social needs of workers. Itwas developed to check and evaluate fundamen-tal indicators for potential social risks in primaryproduction operations.

Over 7,000 producers in more than 20 countriesnow participate in the GRASP evaluation. The listof GRASP observers – registered business partnerswithin the supply chain and purchasers who havesigned the framework agreement for access toGRASP findings – is also growing constantly.The module will continue to be refined and thechecklists improved. Plans this year include thepublication of a revised set of documents.

Use of GRASP in countries with recognised na-tional interpretation guidelines:As the form of the fulfilment criteria and settingof minimum requirements is always dependenton national legislation, GRASP was previouslyonly usable in countries for which a nationalinterpretation guideline had been developed andrecognised by the GLOBALG.A.P. secretariat.Therefore, it was only possible for operations toadd a GRASP evaluation to their certification ifthey were operating in Argentina, Austria, Brazil,Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Germany, Greece,Hungary, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Madagascar, Mexi-co, Morocco, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Spain,the USA and Vietnam. Ecuador and Uruguayjoined this list in the second half of 2014.

Use of GRASP in countries without national in-terpretation guidelines:In general, since version 1.2, GRASP can also beused in other countries. Businesses that arebased in countries that have no NIGs should fac-tor in a period of a few weeks to allow the con-trol body for the respective country to requestthe application from GLOBALG.A.P. The applica-tion must be accompanied by a plan of measuresto develop a national interpretation guideline.

Please note that an NIG must be recognised bythe GLOBALG.A.P. secretariat and the GRASPStakeholder Committee before it can be pub-lished. A template draft guideline can be down-loaded from the GLOBALG.A.P. websitewww.globalgap.org.

GRASP module only for production operations:The GRASP module refers to control points in thechapter on Employee Health and Safety of theIFA standards, and can therefore not be usedseparately without an existing GLOBALG.A.P.certification to an IFA standard (Fruit & Vegeta-bles, Flowers & Ornamentals, Aquaculture, etc.).For this reason, it is not possible for trading orpackaging operations with a GLOBALG.A.P. sup-ply-chain certification (Chain of Custody) to un-dergo GRASP evaluation.




FairTSA

Dr.Winfried Fuchshofen, Managing DirectorFairTSA

The Fair Trade Sustainability Alliance (FairTSA) isan “open” fair trade programme that works withall organic-certification bodies that wish to offera credible, efficient fair trade programme.

One of the principles of FairTSA is to provide thefarmers and farm workers involved with a mod-est contribution to invest in the communitythrough social premiums, and to provide organi-sational support to start-ups where necessary.Many examples of development collaboration,including work with rural communities in coun-tries in the northern hemisphere, show that suc-cessful community building increasingly relies onthe intervention of experts who can guide laypeople to then carry out their projects at theirown initiative. Thanks to their understanding ofthe local culture and language, and the existingsocial fabric, these lay people are much closer tothe problems and therefore to the appropriatesolutions.

The FairTSA programme has a number of processsteps, from comprehensive self-organisation inthe corresponding cultural context to the agree-ment of a Community Development Plan andrealisation of initially simple and then increas-ingly complex projects. Such a project, the firstphase of which has recently been realised, isdescribed below. It concerns the farm workers atVilla Lobo in the Dominican Republic. Villa Lobois a finca that primarily produces bananas. Itsorganic farming process is certified by BCS Domi-nica according to EU 887/2007 and it also hasFairTSA certification. As the first step, the farmworkers at the Villa Lobo finca elected a work-ers’ representative (see photo below).

Farm workers at Villa Lobo elect their represent-atives

Subsequently the farmworkers developed a sim-ple Community Development plan, which de-scribed the projects they envisioned to accom-plish with the Social Premium. The first part ofthat plan called for the replacement of latrinesthat were in an utter state of disrepair by newones (see pictures below).

Before




After

The community development plan calls for thecompletion of additional projects: the creationof a small park, cleaning and securing of thebanks of the Yaque river, and a solid waste re-moval project.Step by step the community will be able to im-prove their living conditions based on the fruit oftheir own work and their initiative – with supportfrom consumers that pay the fair price and thesocial premium, companies committed to treat-ing small farmers and farm workers fairly likeBiotropic GmbH, and of course, the hard work ofBCS inspectors and certification reviewers, whoensure project transparency and accountability.

GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard)by Monika Bachmann,Certifier

With the revision pro-cess resulting in ver-sion 4.0 of the stand-ard which was intro-duced in 2014, BCS hasadapted to the re-quirements of GOTS inits documentation andin internal training,implementing thechanges from April2014. Since the sum-

mer the standards issuer has been translating thenew version 4.0 into a range of languages, mak-ing these accessible on the Global Standardswebsite. The changes relate to the standarditself and the associated manual.

Changes to the scope of application

As already anticipated in the revision process,mattresses, bedding and fashion accessories have

been added to the standard. For example, mat-tress manufacturers can now obtain certificationnot only for their mattress shell, but for thecomplete product including a latex foam core.The most recent version also has a requirementfor the use of exclusively recycled polyester insupporting fibres. This provides a rounded pic-ture in respect of the materials used.

Another point to have been revised in the stand-ard comprises textiles that contain electroniccomponents. The background to this was thecommitment to adhere to a clearly defined linewhen it comes to certified products. This is nolonger the case for children’s textile toys thatcontain electronic components. Rather, theseare classed as electronics goods with a textileshell.

End customers are often hard-pressed to decidewhich parts of the item, such as a toy, are certi-fied according to GOTS. While the label on theoutside indicates GOTS certification, the batteryhas to meet the requirements of the batteriesordinance, and the electronic components mustbe RoHS-compliant. Until now, the standardsissuer had no plans to add such requirements toits standard.

Requirements for additional fibres:

Regenerated fibres, recycled fibres or metalfibres

Major changes have been made in respect ofadditional fibres, which depending on the labelgrade (‘organic’: 5%, ‘made with organic’: up to30%) have now been permitted or will be exclud-ed with version 4.0.

Approved are regenerated fibres such asviscose, modal, lyocell, acetate and pro-tein, manufactured from raw materialsproduced

-using controlled organic farming or an-imal husbandry

-from certified, sustainable forestry

-recycled regenerated fibres

Up to 30% of the fibre composition maynow consist of recycled synthetic fibres(polyester, polyamide, polypropylene orpolyurethane).

Conventional cotton, angora and newlymanufactured polyester may no longerbe used.




The use of carbon and silver fibres is en-tirely prohibited.

With the approval for use of recycled and regen-erated fibres, the standards issuer has respondedto the demands of the textile industry in openingitself up to the use of these fibres. Nevertheless,it stands firmly by the ecological criteria thatinsist that this path must not be used to producenew synthetic fibres. However, care must betaken to ensure that no chemicals that thestandards issuer prohibits or limits are used inthe recycling process.

Clarifications of the standard

Some parts of the standard have been revised toclarify the language used and provide readerswith greater understanding of the requirements.

For example, “certified according to a recog-nised international or national organic farmingstandard” has become “certified according toRegulation (EC) 834/2007, USDA National Organ-ic Program (NOP), or any (other) standard ap-proved in the IFOAM Family of Standards”.

Modifications have also been made to the moredetailed description of GMOs (genetically modi-fied organisms) and PFCs (polyfluorinated chemi-cals).

Stricter chemical requirements

A number of amendments have been made to thespecifications on chemicals.

These include adsorbable organohalogens (AOX),which may not make up more than 1% of thematerial. The key aspect, too, is that the halo-gens are permanently bound. This is explicitlydefined for processing; for yellow, green andviolet pigments an exceptional tolerance limit of5% is permitted.

In addition, many tolerances for a range ofchemicals and chemical elements have beentightened (plasticisers, antimony, harmful sur-factants such as nonylphenol ethoxylates).

Documentation and internal quality control

In order to guarantee long-term traceability ofoperational procedures and internal control pro-cesses, it has been decided that reports relatingto the audit must be retained for at least five (5)years.

TCs are now mandatory as evidence for suppliedGOTS goods. However, multiple deliveries maybe listed on a single TC and can cover a period ofup to 3 months.

Certificate issuing

A change has also been made in respect of howcertificates are issued. This has been done forthe benefit of the facilities being inspected.Following completion of a successful certificationprocess, the operating certificate now lists allcertified processing stages. This also relates tosub-contractors’ process stages. However, thismeans that the number of licence numbers thatare allocated on a one-off basis to a facility andthe number of operating facilities, which mayrelate to multiple process stages, will differ.

Environmental policy

The new version of the standard stipulates thatevery company that undergoes the certificationprocess must have a documented environmentalpolicy. The standard describes the major work-flows that must be documented by this policy.

Paper packaging material

More detailed sections of the new version clarifythe use of paper as a packaging material withinthe supply chain. Recycled paper or paper fromcertified, sustainable forestry must be used aspackaging materials for GOTS goods. Large pack-aging is excluded from this requirement. In addi-tion, appropriate auditing, documentation andcertification must be implemented for recycledpaper/card and paper/card from sustainableforestry.

Verification of working and social standards

The final version of the standard now requiresthat minimum social criteria must be applied forall trading stages. As already reported inEurÖkonews in the spring, the requirements areagain based on the concepts of the ILO core con-ventions. It has been expressly clarified onceagain that health and safety education must in-clude fire prevention training and evacuationdrills. Each employee must be provided withsuitable protective equipment that they can usein an emergency. There is also a clarificationthat the appropriate safety data sheets must beavailable for all chemicals. It must be ensuredthat the applicable health and safety measuresfor handling and storage of these chemicals areimplemented.




UTZ Certified

Miriam Herr, Certifier, Intern. Department

UTZ Certified is a sustainability standard that isapplicable to the whole chain of custody fromthe countries of origin of the raw materials tothe destination countries of the finished product.Therefore, producers or producer-groups as wellas processing units in countries of origin anddestination of the product are certified. Thecertification is possible for cacao, coffee, teaand rooibos and currently UTZ Certified is work-ing on a Hazelnut Module. The Code of Conductfor Hazelnut is in revision and the launch is ex-pected for October 2015.

UTZ Certified has published an updated versionof the Core Code of Conduct. Previously, therewas a Code of Conduct for each product (coffee,tea, rooibos, cacao). Now, there will be a CoreCode of Conduct, which is applicable for all UTZCertified commodities and the Modules completethe specific requirements for each commodity.Many requirements for pre-harvest are applicablefor all products, so these requirements are in-

cluded in the Core Code. Product specific re-quirements are stated in the Modules. The newCore Code will replace the further documents ofCode of Conduct. Certification using the CoreCode and the Modules is possible since June 2014and will be obligatory from July 1st, 2015 on-wards. Producers/Producer groups, which arealready certified the 4th year or even more years,can be audited against Year 3 during the firstyear of the Core Code Version 2014.

During 2014 UTZ Certified implemented an onlinelabeling approval system. The label approval isobligatory for packaging that carries the UTZCertified Logo. The registered client has to sendhis label draft via the Good Inside Portal to UTZCertified and there the procedure takes place.The label approval has to be shown to the in-spector during the external audit. The Good In-side Portal (GIP) also is the platform where allthe product transactions have to be registered toassure traceability of the produce.

BCS is a registered certifier for UTZ Certified inthe following countries: Brazil, Colombia, CostaRica, Germany, Ecuador, Ethiopia and soon wewill start our activities in China.

More information can be found on the UTZ Certi-fied webpages www.utzcertified.org andwww.goodinsideportal.org

BCS is now listed for UTZ certification in China




Market PresenceIn 1992, BCS OEKO-GARANTIE GmbH became thefirst German certification body registered underthe Organic Regulation of the European Union(EEC 2092/91). Since that time, Kiwa BCS OEKO-GARANTIE has become very well established inthe European market and has gained a stronginternational presence.

According to a rough estimate, Kiwa BCS is in-volved in the certification of approx. 35% of allorganic products in Germany. Kiwa BCS certifiesabout 450,000 operators in about 70 countriesworldwide.

Kiwa BCS OEKO-GARANTIE maintains offices /local representation in:

Latin America: Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cos-ta Rica, Cuba, Dom. Repu-blic, Ecuador, Guatemala,Mexico, Paraguay, Peru andUruguay

Europe: Germany and Spain

Eastern Europe: Bulgaria, Romania and Tur-key

Asia: China, Japan, Saudi Arabia,South Korea, Africa:Ethiopia, South Africa, Tuni-sia

Our Clients

Our client base encompasses all sectors of theorganic industry, including farmers, processors,(re-)packers, importers, exporters and warehous-ing companies. Our services are also frequentlyrequested by other well-established certifyingagencies that seek to complement their range ofproduct offerings.

Kiwa BCS Services

Certification

Kiwa BCS OEKO GARANTIE is accredited for thefollowing organic certification standards:

EC 834/2007 and 889/2008 (EU OrganicRegulation), 710/2009 (EU-Aquaculture)

JAS (Japanese Agricultural Standard of Or-ganic Agricultural Products)

KOC (Korean Organic Certification)

NOP (National Organic Program, USA)

FairTSA, GOTS (Textiles

OSKSA (Organic Standard Kingdom of SaudiArabia)

SPP (Símbolo Pequeños Productores)

In addition Kiwa BCS certifies according to eco-logical and social certification standards:

GLOBALG.A.P. (Good Agricultural Practice)

UTZ CERTIFIED (Certified Responsible Coffee)

Bird Friendly (Coffee Certification)

Cooperation

Thanks to our sister company Kiwa InternationalCert GmbH we can offer to our customers toreceive certifications of management systems ina one stop shopping.

Kiwa International Cert GmbH is accredited byDAkkS and offers you certifications according toDIN EN ISO 9001, DIN EN ISO 22000, DIN EN ISO22000 FSSC, DIN EN ISO 14001, DIN EN ISO 50001,OHSAS 18001, SCC.

Furthermore IFS, BRC, HACCP and MSC/ASC-Chain of Custody are available through our sistercompanies.

Inspections

Besides the above mentioned standards Kiwa BCSOEKO-GARANTIE also cooperates with and con-ducts inspections for the following organizationsaccording to their private or national standards:

Bioland / Demeter / Gäa / Naturland (Ger-many), Bio Suisse (Switzerland), Austria BioGarantie (Austria) and others

Support of Exports into the EU

Our name – well-recognized in the EU - buildsconfidence in the brands and products certifiedby us and is helpful in the import process.

Customized Services

Kiwa BCS OEKO-GARANTIE offers control andevaluation of guidelines, contracts (incl. specifi-cations) and licensing payments for associationsand other brand owners.




The Kiwa BCS Philosophy

Kiwa BCS OEKO-GARANTIE – celebrating its 20st

Anniversary in 2010 - is one of the pioneers ofthe organic movement in Europe. The motivationof Kiwa BCS is to provide clarity and transparen-cy for the consumer.

To assure our independence we are not a mem-ber of relevant organisations / associations andwe aren’t financially supported by such ones. Weavoid closer contacts to certified companies. Allstaff members have the obligation to follow theprinciples of impartiality, objectivity and neu-trality.

Control is a need for the protection of seriousproducers and providers and trusting consumersand thus for the credibility of the organic pro-duction in general.

Kiwa BCS OEKO-GARANTIE is committed to sup-port the growing organic marketplace by main-taining the consumers’ confidence in the con-formity with the organic guidelines along thecomplete supply chain from producer to the con-sumer.

Contact Us

Please contact our office as listed in the KiwaBCS Contact List ‘Kiwa BCS worldwide’ orthrough the central office listed below. We willcustomize our services to meet your company’sspecific needs.

KIWA BCS ÖKO-GARANTIE GmbHMarientorgraben 3-5D-90402 Nürnberg (Germany)Tel.: +49 (0)911 42439-0Fax: +49 (0)911 [email protected]




Contacts in Europe

Kiwa BCS-HeadquartersKiwa BCS OEKO-GARANTIE GmbHMarientorgraben 3-590402 Nuremberg, GermanyPhone:+49 (0)911 42439-0 Fax:[email protected]://www.bcs-oeko.com

BCS Bulgaria1320 Bankya, Sofia Municipality"Gergina" Str. N 5C: Ms. Mariana MiltenovaT/F: + 359 2 988 02 59Mobile: + 359 888 503 [email protected]

BCS ÖKO GARANTIE Romania SRLStr. Mihai Eminescu Nr. 15, etaj 2 cam.6, Vatra Dornei, Suceava, RomaniaC: Mr. Cristian Ovidiu BabiasT: + 40 230 37 32 97Mobil: + 40 745 10 10 [email protected]

BCS SpainC: Sr. Eduardo SanchezT: + 34 (93) 765 0380F: + 34 (93) 764 [email protected]

BCS ÖKO GARANTİE ORGANİK TARIMSERTİFİKALANDIRMA HİZMETLERİ LTD.ŞTİKazim Dirik Mah. Gediz Cad.No:21 B Blok D:235040 Bornova Izmir, TurkeyC: Mr. Suat ÇelebiT: + 90 232 339 05 81F: + 90 232 339 05 [email protected]

Contacts in America

BCS Öko-Garantie do Brasil Ltda.Rua Prudente de Moraes, 1428Bairro Alto, 13419-260 Piracicaba, SPBrasilC: Mr. Caio DinizT: + 55 19 3402 5340T/F: + 55 19 3402 [email protected]

BCS Chile Ltda.Vega de Saldias No. 57Chillán, ChileC: Sr. Luis Meléndez CardosoT/F: + 56 42 2423 006 or [email protected]

BCS ÖKO GARANTIE Colombia S.A.S.Carrera 15 No 3B-71Zipaquirá, Cundinamarca, ColombiaC: Sr. Luis Alejandro Franco PastranaT: + 57 18815963F: + 57 18815963 Ext [email protected]

BCS ÖKO GARANTIE GmbH, OficinaRegional, para América central,México y El Caribe100 metros Este de la POPSCasa esquinera color marrón

Residencial Don CarlosSan Juan de Tibás,San José, Costa RicaC: Sr. Jorge BenavidesT: + 506 2241 2794F: + 506 2235 [email protected]

BCS CubaAvenida Ayestarán No 108 entre Bruzóny DesagueMunicipio CerroLa Habana, CubaC: Sr. Alberto BahamondeT/ F: + (537) 879 2024Mobile: + 53 5293 [email protected]

BCS Dominicana SRLAvenida Rafael VidalEdificio Getsemani #8,Tercer Nivel, Apartamento 3bSantiago de los Caballeros,Dominican RepublicC: Sr. Gerardo Navarro FloresT: + 1 809 724-2770F: + 1 809 [email protected]

BCS ÖKO GARANTIE CÌA LTDA Ecuador,Oficina Regional para América del SurKm. 3 1/2 via a Chambo, pasando elpuenteApt. 06-01-567, Riobamba, EcuadorC: Sr. Rusvel Ríos VillafuerteT/F: + 593 3 2 910 333T : + 593 3 2 910 253Mobile : +59 399 3773 [email protected]

BCS Guatemala Sociedad AnonimaC: Sra. Martha Santizo or

Sr. Misael GonzálezM: + 502 5955 3959 or + 502 5706 1331or + 502 5780 [email protected]

BCS Paraguay BCS Uruguayvia Kiwa BCS EcuadorC: Sr. Hansjörg Gö[email protected]@bcs-oeko.com

BCS ÖKO GARANTIE Perú SACCalle Luis F. Villarán N° 362 – Of. 302,San Isidro (Alt. Cdra. 5 Av. Juan deArona), Lima, Perú,C: Sr. Armando BonifazT/F: + 51 1 221 56 33M : + 51 01 97547 [email protected]

Contacts in Africa

BCS ECO GARANTIE Ethiopia PLCBole Road (Africa ave.) Garad –SA Building 407, 4th floor,Office No. , P.O. Box 537 Code 1110Addis Abeba, EthiopiaC: Mrs. Feben Dufera GroschRep.: Mr Abdi ItanaT: + 251 11 554 6872 Fax- [email protected]

BCS South AfricaP.O. Box 910-1083Pyramid, 0120 South AfricaC: Mr. Ralph PeckoverT. mobile: + 27 82 466 5467F: + 27 86 544 [email protected]

BCS TunisieBP N°: 21Av Taib Mehiri Le Kef 7100, TunisiaC: Mr. Sadreddine BejiT: + 216 98 23 74 12F : +216 78 20 26 [email protected]

Contacts in Asia

BCS OEKO-GARANTIE China Co., Ltd.Hunan Biological and ElectromechanicalPolytechnicChangsha, Donghu, Hunan Province410127, ChinaC: Mr. Beishu FangT: + 86 731 8463 7041F: + 86 731 8463 [email protected]

BCS JapanRiki Building No. 11, 7-5-34, Akasaka,Minato-kuTokyo 107-0052, JapanC: Mr. Seizo TakahashiT: + 81 3 5563 0868F: + 81 3 3584 [email protected]

BCS KoreaNr.403, Anguk Building 20, Wolbong-gil,Seobuk-gu, Cheonan, Chungnam,South KoreaC: Mrs Hee Ju LeeT: +82-41-562-6265F: +82-41-562-6266M: [email protected]

BCS Saudi ArabiaC: Badr Al MutairyM: +966 (0) [email protected]

BCSSouth-East Asia, Philippines, ThailandP.O.B. 1541, ZIP 2433San Fabian, Pangasinan, PhilippinesC: Mr. Roland FerstlT: +63 (0)9282 788 947 [email protected]

BCS IranPARS Certifier CompanyNo. 4-2, 4th Floor, Science&Tech. ParkBldg., St. 26, Abnus Ave.Kerman, IranC: Mr. Hadi GanjouzadehT/F: +98 341 246 70 10Mob.: +98-913 198 [email protected]

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