AMSTERDAM, December 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
The public consultation of the Code ensures transparency of the certification process
The second round of public consultation on the UTZ Certified Code of Conduct is now open. Interested parties can provide feedback on the Code on the UTZ Certified website until January 31, 2014. The consultation process is public and open to all actors in the coffee, cocoa, tea and rooibos supply chains, as well as civil society organizations and the general public.
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The UTZ Certified Code of Conduct is an internationally recognized set of criteria for the economically, agronomically, socially and environmentally responsible production of agricultural commodities. The Code is reviewed by all stakeholders every five years in order to enhance the impact of the UTZ program.
In August 2013, UTZ finalized the first public consultation for its new Code, receiving over 3,000 comments from a broad set of stakeholders, ranging from farmer groups to industry and civil society organizations. Comments have been analysed and considered in elaborating a second draft of the Code which is now open for consultation.
Once finalized, the revised Code will include new content on climate change adaptation and living wages. It will also have a different structure that relies on a core Code, which will offer more flexibility to the future expansion of the UTZ program, and separate modules related to coffee, cocoa, tea and rooibos.
In order to ensure that all stakeholders are included in the consultation process, each contribution submitted to UTZ will be consolidated by topic and evaluated carefully. "With this review we will improve our standard through a very transparent process in which everybody has a say," commented Han de Groot, Executive Director at UTZ Certified. "UTZ's goal is to keep empowering farmers to reach higher levels of sustainability," he concluded.
The revision of the code process is available in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Bahasa Indonesia, and Vietnamese.
Summary of the first round of consultations: http://utzcertified-trainingcenter.com/home/images/stories/library_files/Summary_of_feedback_1PC.pdf
The second public consultation of the UTZ code of conduct can be accessed here: http://utzcertified-trainingcenter.com/home/index.php/en/code-revision
UTZ Certified is a program and label for sustainable farming of coffee, cocoa and tea. Its mission is to create a world where sustainable farming is the norm. The compliance with UTZ's strict requirements by farms and businesses is closely monitored by independent third parties. http://www.utzcertified.org
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