SDP:

Sustainable Development Program

The Sustainability services essentially cover certification audits and compliance audits for voluntary sustainability standards in the agricultural and food industry.Since 2017, BVCI has been ISO/CEI 17065 accredited by DAKKS to carry out GLOBALG.A.P. Additionally, BVCI has been Rainforest Alliance approved since April 13, 2021.

Summary

BUSINESS CHALLENGES

Consumers demand healthy products that respect the three principles of sustainability (fair, viable, and liveable) and are willing to pay a higher price when they are audited by an internationally recognized independent organization.

RAINFOREST ALLIANCE: Sustainable Agriculture Certification Program (and/or UTZ Code of Conduct) for Plants and Spices.

GLOBALG.A.P.: Putting food security and sustainability on the mapBrand and Set of Standards for Good Agricultural Practices (G.A.P.).

RSPO (The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil): Develop and implement global standards for sustainable palm oil. Set of environmental and social criteria for certified sustainable palm oil production.

4C CERTIFICATION: Standards on the economic, social, and environmental conditions of coffee production and processing in order to establish sustainable, reliable, and fair coffee supply chains.

STARBUCKS - COCOA PRACTICES:To ensure a long-term supply of high quality while contributing positively to the environment and cocoa communities. Inspections by independent verification bodies trained and audited by SCS Global Services SCS Global Services.

INTERNAL SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM: To be the technical partner of companies (exporters and chocolate makers) in the development of their internal sustainability program.

WHY CHOOSE BUREAU VERITAS?

We are approved for several sustainability programs:

- We have a coordination and verification unit made up of agricultural experts experienced in certification programs. This cell will have the essential mission of coordinating all operations, collecting, verifying, correcting and validating all the information transmitted by the auditors.

- We have trained, and qualified auditors on several standards. Our objective is to have recognized and credible skills always available to meet the audit needs of our customers in order to reduce the turnaround time of audits to the minimum possible in the case of a large number of audits. We are continuing in this direction with our selection of auditors.

GlOBAL G.A.P has released the new version 6 of the Integrated Farm Assurance Standard. The mandatory application of the new version for the « Plants » and « Aquaculture » perimeters is scheduled for January 2024

ACCESS TO THE PARTIES

As stakeholders, you have the option to contact us or directly filling in the "STAKEHOLDER’S ACCESS" form in order to give your opinion on the performance of certificate holders and BVCI auditors.

STAKEHOLDERS' ACCESS

OUR APPROACH

ANTICORRUPTION POLICY

Bureau Veritas, through its CODE OF ETHICS, is committed to fighting corruption in all its forms. We categorically reject all forms of corruption and influence peddling. Furthermore, we are committed to fully comply with all applicable laws and prohibitions against such behavior. Under no circumstances should gifts, hospitality or invitations be accepted if they improperly influence or create the appearance of improper influence on business decisions.

If you wish to anonymously report activities where corruption may take place, fraud, or fraudulent behavior, please contact us at the address on the dedicated external alert line Expolink.

INFORMATION PRIVACY POLICY

Bureau Veritas, through its CODE OF ETHICS, is committed to processing and protecting all information received or communicated, or generated in the course of conducting audits and inspections.

Information (such as technical, commercial, and financial information, data, including personal data, software, methodologies, trade secrets, databases, inventions, know-how, and related intellectual property rights) constitutes an asset that has as much value as physical assets (such as buildings and inventory).

All information received or communicated in the context of the provision of our services will be treated as (and must remain) strictly confidential.

The procedures are available below:

Information management and data protection available here and here
Management of the certification document flow here
Claims, appeals, and complaints: read more...
Fraud management procedure here and here
Rainforest Alliance Applicable Laws Assessment here and Risk Assessment here

For any complaints, please contact:

Marie Berthe AKA, Sustainability Manager

+225 27 20 312 500

marie.aka@bureauveritas.com

Melaine YAO, QHSE & Accreditations Responsible

+225 07 09 86 86 84
melaine.yao@bureauveritas.com

SDP: Sustainable Development Program