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Fair Trade Certified. Certified Organic. Non-GMO. Certified Humane — we’re used to seeing these labels scattered over products touting their ethical and environmental backgrounds.
But the brands and farmers meeting these standards often feel “like scouts with a sash full of merit badges,” says Jeff Moyer, president of the Rodale Institute, which advocates for organic farming practices.
Rodale is one of a handful of organizations working with the natural soap brand Dr. Bronner’s and Patagonia to roll out a new sustainability standard, which Dr. Bronner’s president Mike Bronner calls “one standard to rule them all,” because it will incorporate best practices from pre-existing standards — as well as new criteria — into one certification.
The standard, called Regenerative Organic Certification, can apply to any product made with agricultural ingredients. It requires that farmers produce those ingredients via practices that follow rigorous criteria: Increase soil organic matter over time and sequester atmospheric carbon in that soil; improve animal welfare on farms; provide economic stability and fair labor conditions for workers; create environmentally and economically resilient production ecosystems and communities.
The ROC standard aims to make it clear that for a company — and the agricultural operations from which they source — to truly advance sustainable operations, they need to tackle issues of eco-positive farming practices, economic justice, animal welfare, and fair labor in tandem, not in isolation.
Read the full article about Regenerative Organic Certification by Eillie Anzilotti at fastcompany.com.