For the past twenty
years we have been audited on an ongoing basis; not only do we cultivate
under
different organic standards, we also comply with a range of
sustainability and
quality standards. This has been an experience from which we have
learned and built
each and every day. Just to give our readers an idea, we have visitors
(audits
and clients) at least 30 weeks of the year!
In the past, our
accreditations were mainly focused on soil amendments used for
plants:
biodynamic agriculture for example. However, over time the EU
implemented an
organic standard, followed by the US, Switzerland, Japan and other
countries.
After organic standards were set, certifications developed in the
areas of
Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, UTZ and RSPO; covering not only
agricultural
practices, but also social, environmental and governance standards.
Traceability has become the most recent area on which certifications
have
focused, with the aim of maintaining supply chains transparent.
We have always
known our customers are looking for the safest ingredients for their
products,
these require: clear sustainability credentials, a segregated supply
chain,
positive brand recognition and robust smallholder/community
involvement. Fully
traceable supply chains are not easy to establish and are even
harder to
maintain in the long run because of quality, consistency and the
time-consuming
task of understanding the realities of various crops.
In order to make
our commitment to traceability clear and transparent for our
stakeholders, Daabon
initiated the TRUST scheme in 2018. The scheme is a step-by-step
methodology
that outlines the main risks associated with common supply chains
around the
world, and determines how we can use online tools, complemented with
on the
ground observation, to avoid actors who engage in problematic
behaviours such
as deforestation and labour violations. What makes this program
unique is the
fact that consumers believe that companies want to perform better in
sourcing,
and they encourage their brands to lead the way. We want to help
build brands
that can clearly state its efforts -not only in palm oil- but with
all the
ingredients they use. We are excited to be able to test drive the
first draft
methodology on our sugar, andean grains and coconut oil supply
chains in 2019-
Q2.