New partnership with FLOCERT
The Soil Association is pleased to announce a newly formed partnership with FLOCERT, a global certification and verification company, to provide certification for organic textiles. The new partnership was announced today (10 November 2014) at the Textiles Exchange conference.
The new agreement is already working well in India, and there are plans to roll out the partnership further internationally in the coming months. This collaboration agreement, covering inspection and certification for both the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and the Organic Content Standard (OCS), will speed up certification for customers while simplifying the administrative process.
The OCS, part of Organic Textile Exchange (OTE), along with GOTS, provides a complementary certification solution for farmers, wholesalers and retailers, while providing integrity to the organic textiles supply chain. The flexibility of being able to certify both standards means extra reassurance for customers and brands, with updates up and down the supply chain being handled faster and more effectively as information can be maintained by one certification body.
Speaking about the partnership, Emma Reinhold, trade relations manager at the Soil Association, said, “This is an incredibly exciting development. With joint certification, consumers can feel doubly assured that the products that they’re buying are 100% organic. We can also now certify new businesses and outlets much more quickly – which means more organic products on shelves in a shorter space of time. All in all, this is a very positive movement forward.”
FLOCERT will carry out inspections on behalf of the Soil Association, while the Soil Association’s highly experienced certification teams in the UK will review all technical documentation, including reports, specifications, labels and the final certification decisions.
With the current boom in the organic market, this development couldn’t come at a more appropriate time.
10/11/2014
For additional information on this working partnership, please contact us.
ENDS.
For press enquiries please contact:
Natasha Collins-Daniel, Press Office Manager – 0117 914 2448 / 07827 925380
Hayley Coristine, Digital Communications and Press Officer – 0117 314 5170
FLOCERT
Christopher DuBay, Marketing and Communications Manager
Bonn, Germany
Phone: +49 228 2493 201
About the Soil Association -
The Soil Association was founded in 1946 by farmers, scientists, doctors and nutritionists to promote the connection between the health of the soil, food, animals, people and the environment. Today the Soil Association is the UK's leading membership charity campaigning for healthy, humane and sustainable food, farming and land use. To find out more visit www.soilassociation.org
About FLOCERT -
FLOCERT is a global certification body offering verification and business services to ensure social and environmental standards. Founded in 2003 as the single certifier for Fairtrade, the company has four international offices, 80 employees and more than 100 inspectors worldwide. FLOCERT partners with internationally recognized brands and suppliers to offer global reach with local expertise.