November 26, 2015
ADM''s Responsible Soybean Standard meets FEFAC''s guidelines
Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) has announced that its Responsible Soybean Standard has been recognised for meeting the European Feed Manufacturers'' Federation''s (FEFAC) Soy Sourcing Guidelines.
Along with the International Trade Centre (ITC), FEFAC has accepted the global soy suppliers'' certification programme for fulfilling requirements during a review in September. This made ADMamong the first private companies to comply with the FEFAC guidelines, a customised benchmarking system for responsible soy programmes.
FEFAC and ITC recently published the benchmarking results of the eight sustainability standards that met expectations.
"The ADM Responsible Soybean Standard reinforces our commitment to the responsible and sustainable development of agriculture worldwide," said Albrecht Baetge, ADM''s sustainability manager for Europe. "We support FEFAC and ITC''s efforts to harmonise sustainability standards throughout the industry, and were confident that our certification standard would meet the Soy Sourcing Guidelines."
The results of the benchmarking assessments will be shown on ITC''s online benchmark tool, as well as on its Standards Map for sustainable trade, where they can be compared with other sustainability standards.
The ADM Responsible Soybean Standard was launched in March 2015 to offer customers in Europe and other regions protein meals made from sustainably-grown soybeans.
Participating growers are audited based on their adherence to a broad set of social, environmental, legal and agronomic standards, including their labour practices, water and soil usage, solid waste management, observance of land rights, legal compliance, and the responsible use of fertilisers.
Expanding ADM''s commitment to sustainable agriculture in partnership with ITC, the company recently became a signatory of the ITC''s Trade for Sustainable Development Principles (T4SD.) The principles set forth by ITC, an agency of the United Nations (UN) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), promote sustainability, transparency and harmonisation in supply chains, and support the UN''s Sustainable Development Goals.
"By providing third-party assessment and verification of soy sustainability standards, and laying out industry-wide principles for sustainable development, FEFAC and the ITC are helping to build a more responsible soy value chain," said John Grossmann, the president of ADM Oilseeds European Crush and Origination.
"We are proud to work with these organisations and offer our European customers a wide portfolio of sustainable soy products certified by ISCC PLUS, the US Soybean Sustainability Assurance Protocol and, especially, the ADM Responsible Soybean Standard," Grossmann added.