GLOBAL BENCHMARK TOOL - GSSI

1 GLOBAL BENCHMARK TOOLC onfidence in certified seafood2 GSSI is a GLOBAL platform and partnership of seafood companies, NGOs, experts, governmental and intergovernmental organizations working towards more sustainable seafood for s updated GLOBAL BENCHMARK tool The GLOBAL Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) is launching the next public consultation of its updated GLOBAL BENCHMARK tool for seafood certification schemes. The GLOBAL BENCHMARK tool aims to make information available across the supply chain to drive change and lower public consultation will run from 21 April until 19 May with Expert webinars and a chance to sign up to share your comments online at GSSI has taken on board the range of comments from the 2014 public consultation to update the tool , which is now available online.

2 A report of how the 2014 comments have fed into the updated tool is available on the GSSI website. Alongside the public consultation, the tool is being road-tested with a pilot phase that runs from March to July. Comments from the public consultation, together with lessons from the pilot, will feed into the updated GLOBAL BENCHMARK tool that will be launched in autumn s GLOBAL BENCHMARK tool Timeline:Public consultation: 21 April 19 MayPilot phase: March July Updates to the tool based on public comments and lessons from pilot: July - SeptemberLaunch of GSSI s GLOBAL BENCHMARK tool : autumn 2015 Find out more about GSSI s updated GLOBAL BENCHMARK tool and have your 2015 GLOBAL Sustainable Seafood InitiativeDesign: Peggy Ford-Fyffe KingDevelopment communications: Elena von EssenPhotograph.

3 Jos Carlos AlexandreGLOBAL BENCHMARK TOOLGLOBAL BENCHMARK TOOLINTRODUCTION Why GSSI s GLOBAL BENCHMARK tool was developed 4 The backdrop to GSSI s GLOBAL BENCHMARK tool 5 How the GLOBAL BENCHMARK tool works 6 BENCHMARK PROCESS 8 BENCHMARK FRAMEWORK 12 Section overview 13 How to read the BENCHMARK Framework 14 BENCHMARK Framework At a Glance 16 Section A 18 GSSI Requirements and GSSI Indicators for Governance of a Seafood Certification SchemeSection B 54 GSSI Requirements and GSSI Indicators for Operational Management of a Seafood Certification SchemeSection C 79 GSSI Requirements and GSSI Indicators for Aquaculture Certification StandardsSection D 145 GSSI Requirements and GSSI Indicators for Fisheries Certification StandardsGLOSSARY 24634 Why GSSI s GLOBAL BENCHMARK tool was developedThe problemAs seafood production increases to meet rising GLOBAL demand, so have concerns of members of the seafood supply chain, consumers and environmental NGOs over the impact that production is having on the environment.

4 One way of providing assurances of more sustainable practices in both aquaculture production and wild capture fisheries is the use of seafood certification schemes. But the increase of schemes has led to confusion among producers, retailers and consumers over how to recognize a credible seafood certification scheme. This confusion is making decision-making more difficult, and seafood more costly, for everyone. The solutionThe GLOBAL Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) is a unique solution to this problem. For the first-time members of the seafood supply chain, NGOs, governmental and intergovernmental organizations and a number of independent experts have come up with a collective, non-competitive approach to provide clarity on seafood certification and ensure consumer confidence in certified ve done this by following the reference documents at the heart of the process: the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF), the FAO Guidelines for Ecolabelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine/Inland Capture Fisheries and the FAO Technical Guidelines for Aquaculture Certification (FAO Guidelines).

5 GSSI used this foundation to create a GLOBAL BENCHMARK tool for seafood certification schemes. GSSI s GLOBAL BENCHMARK tool includes GSSI Requirements that are based on the CCRF and the FAO Guidelines and which seafood certification schemes must meet to be recognized by GSSI. GSSI has also created GSSI Indicators, which allows schemes to show their diverse approach and helps stakeholders understand where differences between schemes may exist. These indicators are grounded in the CCRF and other related FAO documents, ISO normative standards and ISEAL shared solution will make information available across the seafood supply chain to drive change and lower costs. For producers, it means more options to choose the scheme that is right for them and reduce the need for multiple audits. For seafood buyers, it means simpler, more consistent data to guide their purchasing decisions.

6 And for NGOs it means more open and checked information to help promote environmental sustainability. Through its GLOBAL BENCHMARK tool GSSI works towards its collective objective to minimize the overall environmental impact of how we catch, grow and deliver seafood to meet a growing GLOBAL demand. INTRODUCTION5 GSSI vision: more sustainable seafood for everyoneGSSI mission: ensure confidence in the supply and promotion of certified seafood as well as to promote improvement in the seafood certification schemesGSSI objectives:n provide an international multi-stakeholder platform for collaboration and knowledge exchange in seafood sustainabilityn d evelop an internationally agreed set of requirements and indicators to measure and compare the performance of seafood certification schemes, in order to facilitate their implementation and usen b uild, operate and maintain a common, consistent and GLOBAL BENCHMARK tool for seafood certification schemes n r educe cost by eliminating redundancy and improving operational efficiency of seafood certification schemes thereby increasing affordability and flexibility within the supply chainGSSI aims high.

7 N GSSI has grown from 17 Funding Partner companies in 2013 to 32 in 2015 and welcomes new partnersn G SSI is encouraging seafood certification and labelling schemes to go through its GLOBAL BENCHMARK Tooln G SSI aims that by 2020, 30% of seafood catch/production (tons of raw fish/shellfish per year) will be certified to a recognised schemeGSSI does:n d rive change towards sustainability through a multi stakeholder processn d eliver recognition of seafood certification schemes aligned with the FAO Guidelinesn i ncrease comparability and transparency in seafood certificationn e nable informed choice for procurement of certified seafoodGSSI does not:n u ndertake any accreditation or certificationn d evelop or own any standardsn r ank certification schemesn d efine sustainable or responsible seafoodn p ermit any consumer facing labelling about its recognitionn make policy for any business or schemeGSSI is committed to promoting improvement in seafood certification and labelling schemes.

8 As such, GSSI will review the GLOBAL BENCHMARK tool s GSSI Requirements on a regular principles to guide long-term change:n i mprovement of seafood sustainability shall be at the heart of the work for all GSSI participantsn t he benchmarking process shall be self-financing with agreed and fair contributions for benchmarking services and membershipn fi nancing of activities on the neutral platform may include contributions from fundersn t he partnership shall aspire to engaging with small and less developed schemes to provide them with a pathway towards recognition by GSSIThe backdrop to GSSI s GLOBAL BENCHMARK tool INTRODUCTION6 How the GLOBAL BENCHMARK tool works1 The submission of application and supporting documentation by the certi cation scheme2A preliminary review by Independent Experts3An Office audit or Desktop Review by Independent Experts4 Review by multi-stakeholder BENCHMARK Committee5

9 Stakeholder consultation6 Recognition decision by Steering Board7 ABCDM onitoring of compliance of recognized schemes on a regular basisGSSI Requirements and GSSI Indicators for Governance of a Seafood Certification Scheme GSSI Requirements and GSSI Indicatorsfor Operational Management of a Seafood Certification SchemeGSSI Requirements and GSSI Indicators for Aquaculture Certification StandardsGSSI Requirements and GSSI Indicatorsfor Fisheries Certification StandardsStatement of GSSI Recognition and BENCHMARK Report BENCHMARK ProcessBenchmark FrameworkBenchmark Result1 The submission of application and supporting documentation by the certi cation scheme2A preliminary review by Independent Experts3An Office audit or Desktop Review by Independent Experts4 Review by multi-stakeholder BENCHMARK Committee5 Stakeholder consultation6 Recognition decision by Steering Board7 ABCDM onitoring of compliance of recognized schemes on a regular basisGSSI Requirements and GSSI Indicators for Governance of a Seafood Certification Scheme GSSI Requirements and GSSI Indicatorsfor Operational Management of a Seafood Certification SchemeGSSI Requirements and GSSI Indicators for Aquaculture Certification StandardsGSSI Requirements and GSSI Indicatorsfor Fisheries Certification StandardsStatement of GSSI Recognition and BENCHMARK Report BENCHMARK ProcessBenchmark FrameworkBenchmark ResultSeafood certification schemes go through a 7-step BENCHMARK Process to be recognized by GSSI.

10 The expert-led process involves objective assessments made against the BENCHMARK Framework. The process has been designed to be independent, impartial and s GLOBAL BENCHMARK Framework is made up of four Sections. All seafood certification schemes will be assessed against Sections A and B. Depending on the scope of the seafood certification scheme, they will also be assessed against either Section C or D or both. GSSI s GLOBAL BENCHMARK tool is made up of 3 parts:n P rocess: steps a scheme goes through to be recognized by GSSIn F ramework: information on GSSI Requirements, grounded in the CCRF and FAO Guidelines, which a scheme needs to meet to be recognized by GSSI and information on GSSI Indicators, which show a scheme s diverse approachn Result: the statement of GSSI Recognition and BENCHMARK ReportUnder each Section, there are a number of Performance Areas, which are the different chapters that come under a Section.