The Proforest Initiative supports recognition process between standard organisations

RSB has developed a global sustainability standard and certification system for biofuel production. SAN developed a standard for sustainable agricultural production applicable to over 100 crops. As a first step in this recognition process, the two organisations asked the Proforest Initiative to compare the respective requirements of the RSB Principles & Criteria (RSB-STD-01-001; Version 2) and the SAN Sustainable Agriculture Standard (July 2010; Version 2).

As a framework for this comparison, the Proforest Initiative used the draft criteria of the Sustainability Standards Transparency Initiative (SSTI), an initiative coordinated by ISEAL Alliance, GIZ and ITC, which is developing a tool to allow meaningful comparisons of standards systems. The Proforest Initiative, the RSB and the Rainforest Alliance – as providers of technical support and active participants in SSTI – will use the experience gained through the RSB/SAN comparison to further feed into the development of the SSTI criteria. 

A prior comparative field test of the two standards had already been carried out by the Proforest Initiative and also served to inform this standards comparison.

RSB and SAN, with the technical support of The Proforest Initiative, will keep working together over the next few months to compare the two systems with regards to assurance and chain of custody aspects, which is expected to help them move toward a system of certificate recognition.