ISEAL Associate Membership
The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) has joined the ISEAL Alliance, the global association for social and environmental standards, as an Associate Member. ISEAL members are leaders in their fields, committed to creating solid and credible standard systems that give business, governments and consumers the ability to choose goods and services that have been responsibly produced.
Voluntary standards and certification are increasingly important tools for businesses operating in complex supply chains. ISEAL was founded in 2002 by a group of pioneering sustainability standards systems, including the Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), Rainforest Alliance and Social Accountability International (SAI, owner of SA8000). It provides a forum for peer support for standards and accreditation organisations and develops internationally applicable good practice guidance that is a requirement for its members.
As an Associate Member, RJC commits to ISEAL’s mission and Code of Ethics and will be applying to become a Full Member of ISEAL in 2012. Membership of ISEAL will help RJC continue to improve its standards development and implementation, and share experiences and ideas with other sectors. ISEAL Members are standards organisations that commit to transparency, co-operation and good governance and RJC is delighted to become part of this community.
ISEAL News
ISEAL Conference 29-30 May 2012
Beethovenhälle, Bonn, Germany
For more information on the annual ISEAL conference please click here
Second Draft of ISEAL Assurance Code Now Open for Consultation
Click here for more information
Consultation Period: 2 April-31 May 2012
ISEAL is pleased to announce that consultation on the second draft of the Assurance Code is now open. The second draft improves on the first document and is the result of extensive stakeholder involvement and a large number of constructive comments. Interested parties can download the second draft of the “Code of Good Practice for Assuring Compliance with Social and Environmental Standards” on the Assurance Code webpage.
The progress made in the second draft reflects the effectiveness of ISEAL’s Code Development procedures and the importance of meaningful dialogue. We have taken the next steps toward an Assurance Code that is realistic yet ambitious, and that will help users improve the effectiveness of their assurance systems.
One area of collective response from the first consultation was that the Assurance Code, while encouraging innovation, must clearly define credible practice in assurance. As such, minimum requirements have now been defined. The second draft also emphasises the responsibility of standards systems to implement strategies that will ensure uniform auditor competence and consistent decisions throughout the scheme.
Visit the ISEAL Assurance Code webpage to download the second draft and to participate in the consultation. Questions can be directed to Paddy Doherty, ISEAL’s Code Development Manager, at paddy@isealalliance.org.
