NEPCon
| Formation | 1994 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Peter Feilberg |
| Headquarters | Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Location | |
Staff | 220 |
| Website | https://www.nepcon.org/ |
NEPCon is a non-profit organisation that builds commitment and capacity for mainstreaming sustainability.[1] [2]. Headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, this mission-based organisation delivers sustainability certification and auditing services, and implements related conservation projects on a global scale. Founded in 1994, the organisation has been working on sustainable land use and responsible trade of forest commodities for almost 25 years.
In October 2018, RA-Cert, the certification division of the Rainforest Alliance joined forces[3] with NEPCon [4]. The new, combined organisation under the name of NEPCon, has more than 220 staff members working from 25 different offices and an extensive network of professional consultants located in six continents – Europe, South and North America, Russia, Africa and Asia.[5]
Certification and Services
Forest Stewardship Council
According to World Bank, the global wood market is undergoing rapid changes that lead to an increasing pressure on the world’s remaining natural forests. To change this situation, international wood demand must be met through sustainable wood production from natural forests and plantation management [6]. As a result, markets must adopt mechanisms that ensure sustainable forestry and conservation, and at the same time, provide satisfactory livelihood opportunities for forest-dependent communities.
FSC certification is designed to help forest managers, product manufacturers, retailers or businesses that produce or trade forest products, to demonstrate to consumers that they operate in an environmentally, economically and socially responsible way.
There are two types of FSC certification, which are FSC Forest Management (FM) certification and FSC Chain of Custody (CoC) certification [7]. FSC FM certification is awarded when a forest is managed responsibly by preserving the natural ecosystem and benefiting the lives of forest-dependent communities. FSC CoC certification tracks FSC-certified material from the forest before it becomes a product. The Accreditation Services International (ASI) accredited NEPCon for FSC FM and CoC certification worldwide, except for China [8].
PEFC
The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) was established in 1999 [9]. It is an international non-profit, non-governmental organisation aimed at promoting responsible forest management through independent third-party certification.
PEFC is a certification system of choice for small- and family forest owners. It works throughout the entire forest supply chain to promote good practice in the forest by ensuring the timber and non-timber forest products comply with its ecological, ethical and social standards [10].
PEFC offers a chain of custody certification for businesses in the supply chain. It is a verified system to track the origins of materials from the forest to the final product. Meanwhile, obtaining a PEFC certificate demonstrates that a forest is managed according to the national PEFC standards. NEPCon is an accredited certifier for this sustainability scheme.[11]
Sustainable Biomass Program
Sustainably sourced biomass contributes to the green transformation of energy systems. When sourced from sustainably-managed forests, woody biomass – mostly in the form of wood pellets and woodchips – is recognised as an environmentally-friendly alternative to coal and gas for electricity and heat production [12].
The Sustainable Biomass Program (SBP) is a certification system designed for woody biomass used in industrial large-scale production [13]. It is aimed at supporting a sustainable solid biomass supply chain that contributes to a low carbon economy, which is implemented through the SBP certification system [14].
The SBP framework consists of a set of standards and processes allowing companies in the biomass sector to demonstrate compliance with regulatory, including sustainability requirements.
The SBP, founded in 2013, is a collaborative effort by seven major European energy producers [15] that use biomass in their power plants. It is a not-for-profit organised, owned and funded by the members.
The Accreditation Services International (ASI) accredited NEPCon for SBP certification worldwide, except for China.[16]
LegalSource
LegalSource certification helps businesses to meet demands for legal timber assurance and legal requirements [17] such as the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) and those that apply in the US and Australia. The certification helps operators at forest level or in a supply chain, based in timber exporting country provide assurance to buyers in countries or regions with strict regulations.
Carbon Management
The Carbon Footprint Management certification (CFM) confirms an organisation’s compliance with NEPCon’s CFM Standard through regular and independent assessments [18]. Free tools are developed to help an organisation to get started with carbon footprint management.
The CFM certification is catered to organisations of any size and sector. However, processors, manufacturers, traders, printing houses, paper merchants and construction companies may benefit the most with this certification.[19]
RSPO
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is a not-for-profit, multi-stakeholder initiative that unites stakeholders from seven sectors of the palm oil industry - oil palm producers, processors or traders, consumer goods manufacturers, retailers, banks/investors, and environmental and social non-governmental organisations (NGOs), to develop and implement global standards for sustainable palm oil [20].
The RSPO has developed a set of environmental and social criteria which companies must comply with in order to produce Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO). When they are properly applied, these criteria can help minimise the negative impact of palm oil cultivation on the environment and communities.
Palm oil producers are certified through strict verification of the production process to stringent RSPO Principles & Criteria for Sustainable Palm Oil Production by accredited certification bodies. RSPO Principles and Criteria (P&C) are developed and revised every five years. Its P&C was revised in November 2018 during the 15th annual general assembly. The new P&C came into effect immediately after the revision, and it includes several new elements, including zero deforestation through the implementation of the High Carbon Stock Approach (HCSA) [21].
NEPCon is an accredited certification body for the RSPO. They can perform supply chain audits in all countries, except in China.[22]
RA Sustainable Agriculture
There is a growing trend of consumers choosing to buy from brands based on their social and environmental impact [23]. According to a study by Unilever, 33% of 20,000 respondents from five countries said sustainability concerns impact their choices in-store and at home.
The Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal is an effective way for businesses to demonstrate their sustainability commitment. The seal on food and beverages products worldwide demonstrates that ingredients in the products are certified against the standards of the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture [24].
The Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Chain of Custody certification [25] controls the flow of certified farm products from farm to shelf.
Meanwhile, the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Certification controls farms [26] that meet comprehensive environmental, social, and economic criteria set out in the standard. NEPCon is an accredited certifier for the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standards.
Sustainable Tourism
The organisation offers hotels, inbound and outbound tour operators and other tourism businesses certification and services to help improve and promote their environmental, social and economic practices [27].
NEPCon assumed the Rainforest Alliance’s Sustainable Tourism Standards for Hotel and Lodging Services and Inbound Tour Operators are GSTC-Recognized standards from 1 October 2018 onwards [28].
These standards are all of the elements of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Criteria for Hotels and Tour Operators. In November 2018, NEPCon announced a new collaboration with Travelife Accommodation and Travelife for Tour Operators, to further promote the growth of a more sustainable and responsible tourism sector[29]
They now partner with Travelife under two separate sustainability systems— Travelife Sustainability Certification for Accommodation, and Travelife Sustainability System for Tour Operators and Travel Agencies.
NEPCon Sourcing Hub
NEPCon launched an open source hub – NEPCon Sourcing Hub – that provides Timber Legality Risk Assessments for over 60 countries around the world. It is the largest and most detailed collection of national risk assessments from countries producing palm oil, soy, beef and timber. The risk assessments cover 82% of world-wide palm oil production, 52% of global soy production and 16% of global beef production [30].
The hub is a tool to help carry out due diligence related to EUTR. Over 100 timber legality tools are available, such as country specific risk mitigation guide. The risk assessments are designed in collaboration with local forest legality experts, while the assessment methodology is developed by NEPCon and FSC. The hub is funded by the European Commission’s LIFE Programme, UK aid, DANIDA and the FSC [31].
Projects
Since 1994, the organisation has worked on numerous projects aimed at driving positive changes around the world. The projects build capacity, raise awareness, conserve nature and streamline sustainability through innovation. Among some of the projects are building CoC systems and auditing capacity in the Philippines, FLEGT TLAS evaluation framework in Honduras, improving livelihoods and fighting climate change in Kenya, sustainable forest project that produced operational guidelines for sustainable forestry in Denmark, which has since evolved into the Danish FSC Forest Management Standard [32]
References
- ↑ "NEPCon, Nature Economy and People Connected". FLEGT. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "Our vision". NEPCon. Retrieved 2018-12-31.
- ↑ "Bæredygtigt skovbrug og landbrug: Opkøb gør danske NEPCon til global leder". Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "NEPCon and RA-Cert: A new future for certification". Rainforest Alliance. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "Two Leading Providers of Sustainability Certification Services, NEPCon and RA-Cert, Join Forces". NEPCon. Retrieved 2018-12-31.
- ↑ "Meeting the Growing Demand for Forest Products: Plantation Forestry and Harvesting Operations in Natural Forests" (PDF). WorldBank. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "Why should I become FSC certified". FSC. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "Accreditation details". ASI. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "What is PEFC?". PEFC. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "What It Means to be PEFC™-Certified". Fiorabrand. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "Certification bodies". PEFC. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "Promoting Sustainable Solutions" (PDF). SBP. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "What is the Sustainable Biomass Program?". SBP. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "About Sustainable Biomass Program". SBP. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "SBP celebrates 100 certifications". BioEnergy International. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "Accreditation details". ASI. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "Certify your due diligence". NEPCon. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "Carbon Footprint Management". NEPCon. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "Nuts & Bolts of CFM Certification". NEPCon. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "About us". RSPO. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "RSPO adopts "transformative" new sustainable palm oil standard". Food Navigator. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "Accreditation details". ASI. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "Report shows a third of consumers prefer sustainable brands". Unilever. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "Chain of Custody Standard". Rainforest Alliance. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "Chain of Custody certification". Rainforest Alliance. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "Farm certification". Rainforest Alliance. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "NEPCon Sustainable Tourism certification services". NEPCon. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "Certification Services for Tourism Businesses". Rainforest Alliance. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "NEPCon and Travelife announce new certification collaboration". World Travel and Tourism Council. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "NEPCon Sourcing Hub Sustainability database to help avoid bad palm oil". Foodnavigator. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "NEPCon launching open source hub with timber legality risk assessments". Global Timber Tracking Network. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ↑ "Projects". NEPCon. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
NEPCon - Nature, Economy and People Connected: A non-profit organisation
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