The Round Table on Responsible Soy Association (RTRS) enters the ISEAL membership having met the new ISEAL Community Member Requirements. 

The organisation, along with the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance, becomes the first of two new ISEAL Community Members, following the launch of ISEAL’s new structure in November 2020.

RTRS joins ISEAL as an organisation whose system meets our membership criteria in terms of scope and transparency and as an organisation committed to improvement. It is the first certification standard focussed on the soy supply chain to become an ISEAL member. 

RTRS was recommended by the Membership Committee to the Board of Directors and was approved on 2 December 2020. 

RTRS Executive Director Marcelo Visconti said, “The impact of soy on people and the environment is one of RTRS´ greatest concerns, and so we are fully committed and aligned to ISEAL best practices. The global challenges the world is facing today, such as tackling deforestation and habitat loss and protecting social and worker rights, demand trustworthy standards and assurance systems to enable effective improvement and scaling up of sustainability impacts. 

“We have learned a great deal about our approach, and we can identify its values and its limitations; therefore, we focus on innovation and collaboration to meet evolving needs. ISEAL Community membership is a very good first step forward towards our ultimate destination: achieving ISEAL Code Compliant status.”

In becoming an ISEAL Community Member, RTRS joins a growing number of well-respected sustainability systems that are driving positive social and environmental change across multiple sectors. RTRS will be working alongside these mission-driven sustainability organisations to continuously improve the effectiveness of their systems and demonstrate impact.

ISEAL Executive Director Karin Kreider said, “I am delighted to welcome RTRS to the ISEAL community. RTRS is committed to promoting the growth of production, trade, and use of responsible soy. To become a Community Member of ISEAL reflects their dedication to credible practices and ongoing improvement. I look forward to working together in the coming months and years.” 

Following this announcement, ISEAL’s membership grows to 27 organisations operating in diverse sectors that address critical sustainability issues such as biodiversity conservation, resource use, working conditions and producer livelihoods. 

As the global membership organisation for ambitious, collaborative and transparent sustainability systems, ISEAL brings the movement together to scale up its collective impact and engage in discussions on credibility and effectiveness.

ISEAL members are sustainability systems and accreditation bodies dedicated to delivering benefits for people and planet. They are committed to continually improving their systems and impacts through learning and innovation; collaborating with stakeholders and peers; and are transparent and truthful about how their systems work and how they measure their impacts.

ISEAL encourages any organisation developing or operating a sustainability system with a multi-stakeholder approach and a commitment to credible practices to consider joining ISEAL. 

Find out more on our membership page.

About RTRS

RTRS is a global non-for-profit organization promoting the growth of production, trade, and use of responsible soy through cooperation with players in the soy value chain, from production to consumption, in an open multi-stakeholder dialogue.

RTRS´ mission addresses the most pressing problems facing the soy sector today, hence, and among other approaches, RTRS works with affected stakeholders in an inclusive, consensus-based process to set the standards for Responsible Soy Production and Chain of Custody. Particularly the RTRS Standard for Responsible Soy Production assures sustainability in soy production ensuring that RTRS certified soy not only meets the highest environmental criteria but also a wide-reaching set of social and labour requirements. Additionally, traceability of sustainable soy and soy products is assured through the RTRS Chain of Custody standard.

Find out more about RTRS.