Sustainably Grown® has officially applied for recognition against the benchmark managed by The Consumer Goods Forum’s Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI). Owned and managed by SCS Standards and Assurance Systems, the programme is undergoing assessment for the primary production scope across both social and environmental pillars, highlighting a growing momentum towards comprehensive, aligned supply chain standards.
The Certification Standard for Sustainably Grown Agricultural Crops (SCS-001) evaluates farming practices and current certificate holders include fresh produce, grains, and nuts across four continents. The voluntary standard provides a comprehensive framework focused on core working conditions, such as fair wages, worker health and safety and the prevention of forced labour, as well as environmental priorities, in particular, soil health, water conservation, and greenhouse gas emission reductions.
Victoria Norman, Executive Director of SCS Standards and Assurance Systems, said: “Aligning with the SSCI Benchmark is a vital step for our programme. By applying for recognition, we want to help take the guesswork out of evaluating agricultural standards for corporate buyers. Providing a transparent, standardised framework helps reduce duplicate assessments for growers while giving buyers a clear tool to support their due diligence processes.”
Didier Bergeret, Director of Sustainability at The Consumer Goods Forum, said: “We are seeing a clear shift as more programmes apply for social and environmental benchmarking simultaneously. The participation of Sustainably Grown® brings a comprehensive agricultural standard into the SSCI basket of programmes. By mapping out essential sustainability expectations across both pillars, this process helps cut through market complexity and drives the transparency retail and CPG buyers need to make informed sourcing decisions.“
We welcome Sustainably Grown’s engagement in the SSCI benchmarking process and look forward to reviewing its alignment with our robust requirements as the assessment moves forward.
The Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI) is an industry solution of the Consumer Goods Forum. The SSCI benchmarks auditing, monitoring and certification programmes against a robust global baseline on social and environmental compliance, supporting companies with corporate due diligence tools they can trust. With this expansion, the SSCI now counts 25 member companies and organisations collaborating to support social and environmental governance worldwide.
The Consumer Goods Forum (“CGF”) is a global, parity-based industry network that is driven by its members to encourage the global adoption of best practices and recommended standards that serve the consumer goods industry worldwide. Its members are the CEOs and senior management of some 400 retailers, manufacturers, service providers, and other stakeholders across 70 countries, and it reflects the diversity of the industry in geography, size, product category and format. Its member companies have an estimated revenue of exceeding €5.2 trillion and directly employ nearly 10 million people, with a further 90 million related jobs estimated along the value chain. The CGF is led by a Board of Directors formed of 50+ CEOs – evenly split between retailers and manufacturers.
Please visit CGF’s website and LinkedIn to be the first to hear updates and new programme confirmations.
The SCS Certification Standard for Sustainably Grown Agricultural Crops (Sustainably Grown®) is a voluntary standard that sets comprehensive environmental, social, and governance requirements relating to agricultural production. Sustainably Grown certification allows producers to demonstrate that they provide a safe and healthy work environment, support farm communities, and protect vital environmental resources while reducing waste, energy consumption, and carbon emissions. The standard also provides producers with the opportunity to be recognized for going above and beyond these baseline practices by offering optional Trailblazer Recognition in the categories of Regenerative Farming, Living Wage, Worker Empowerment, Community Development, Biodiversity Champion, and/or GHG reduction. Sustainably Grown is owned and managed by SCS Standards and Assurance Systems. Certification services for Sustainably Grown are provided by SCS Global Services.
SCS Standards and Assurance Systems (SCS Standards) is an ANSI-accredited organization committed to the development of standards that advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Standards are developed in alignment with best practices and guidelines provided by internationally recognized bodies to ensure a robust, transparent, and collaborative approach. For more information, visit www.scsstandards.org.
