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.