Publication of certification scheme On the way to PlanetProof Chain of Custody

Traders and growers and poultry farmers who buy On the way to PlanetProof products additionally

Effects

• Traders will have to deal with one scheme. On the certificate, the scheme name changes to On the way to PlanetProof Chain of Custody.
• Primary producers (growers and poultry farmers) who buy additional products will have to deal with two schemes: for production the primary products scheme and for additional purchases the Chain of Custody scheme. There will be no duplication of annual certification fees.
• The inspection frequency remains the same and involves:

• • holding an annual inspection, or 

• • for additional buying poultry farmers equal to the inspection frequency of the scheme On the way to PlanetProof for Eggs.
• At the next inspection in 2022, certification will take place on the basis of the Chain of Custody scheme.
• In terms of content, the current requirements for buying and selling remain unchanged.
• If you also pack products, the packaging requirements apply. These have been modified. See paragraph on packaging requirements. 

Packaging requirements

• The new certification scheme On the Way to PlanetProof Chain of Custody is linked to the recycle check developed by the Netherlands Institute for Sustainable Packaging (KIDV). The outcome of the recycle check for rigid plastic packaging is the same as the list in the existing scheme of materials that may not be combined. The change therefore concerns the instrument; the recycle checks make the requirements more accessible to users.
• 3 new requirements have been added: 
  • Criterion 4.2: The packaging of On the way to PlanetProof products must be functional. This is to avoid unnecessary packaging. 
  • Criterion 4.3: in addition to a recycle check for plastic packaging, there are also recycle checks for glass, paper, and cardboard packaging. In the new scheme, the recycle check must also be completed for these packaging materials. At the moment there are no requirements for the outcome (= how well recyclable is the package). 
  • Criterion 4.6: PET packaging must gradually include recycled material. 

• Certificate holders must apply these new requirements to all the packaging materials they use. This requires the necessary time, which is why a transition period of 1 year applies to all packaging requirements for existing certificate holders. 

Effects for consumer-facing organizations 

• Consumer-facing organizations will have to deal with one scheme. On the certificate, the scheme name changes to On the way to PlanetProof Chain of Custody.
• At the next inspection in 2022, certification will take place on the basis of the Chain of Custody scheme.
• In terms of content, the requirements that apply to buying and selling barely change.
• The inspection frequency remains the same (annual inspection).

Preparers and processors 

Effects

For the current certificate holders of Prepared and Processed Products, the scheme name changes and some new requirements are added:

• New criterion 3.5 is about being able to buy raw materials/products that cannot be bought with On the way to PlanetProof certificate. These raw materials should be more sustainable and bought with alternative certificates, such as Beter Leven for meat or ASC for fish.
• New criteria 3.14 and 3.22 on the use of green electricity.
• New criterion 3.20 for larger companies (>10 FTE) to monitor the direct Green House Gas emissions of their activities.
• New criteria 3.30 and 3.31 for reducing food waste. Together with Food Waste Free United, SMK wants to provide information to certificate holders on how to monitor food waste, what help can be offered by Food Waste Free United and what tools are available to use.

The implementation of these measures requires the necessary time, which is why a transition period of 1 year applies to all requirements for Prepared and Processed Products (chapter 3) for existing certificate holders.

Packaging requirements 

If you also pack products the packaging requirements apply. These have been modified as follows: 

• The new certification scheme On the Way to PlanetProof Chain of Custody is linked to the recycle check developed by the Netherlands Institute for Sustainable Packaging (KIDV). The outcome of the recycle check for rigid plastic packaging is the same as the list in the existing scheme of materials that may not be combined. The change therefore concerns the instrument; the recycle checks make the requirements more accessible to users.
• 3 new requirements have been added: 

• • Criterion 4.2: The packaging of On the way to PlanetProof products must be functional. This is to avoid unnecessary packaging.
  • Criterion 4.3: in addition to a recycle check for plastic packaging, there are also recycle checks for glass, paper, and cardboard packaging. In the new scheme, the recycle check must also be completed for these packaging materials. There are as yet no requirements for the outcome (= how well the packaging is recyclable).
  • Criterion 4.6: PET packaging must gradually include recycled material. 

Certificate holders must apply these new requirements to all the packaging materials they use. This requires the necessary time, which is why a transition period of 1 year applies to all packaging requirements for existing certificate holders.