La fausse promesse de la certification

The document argues that the proliferation of voluntary certifications in the palm oil, fisheries, and textile sectors has created consumer confusion and a 'race to the bottom' in standards. It finds that these schemes often fail to stop deforestation, overfishing, or pollution, and are sometimes used by companies to mask unsustainable operations. The report calls for the abolition of most current schemes in favor of a few high-ambition, transparent, and science-based standards that complement, rather than replace, government regulation.

• Voluntary certification schemes in the fisheries sector, specifically the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Friend of the Sea (FOS), have certified fisheries as sustainable even when they were overexploited, had high bycatch levels, or contradicted national laws.
• The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) employs a 'compartmentalized' approach, allowing a vessel to be certified for sustainable tuna capture while using the same equipment on the same day to catch protected species.
• None of the analyzed palm oil certification regimes, including the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), have succeeded in slowing deforestation, peatland drainage, or biodiversity loss.
• The Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certification is described as a 'race to the bottom' because it only requires compliance with Indonesian legislation that is already not very restrictive.
• In the textile sector, the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is characterized as a low-standard regime that allows the use of genetically modified seeds and toxic chemicals, which has led some farmers to move away from organic cotton.
• The Higg Index, widely used by fashion brands, is criticized for its lack of transparency and heavy reliance on self-assessment, which may discourage continuous improvement.
• Certification is often used as a 'cover' to deflect criticism from NGOs and academics regarding the sustainability of specific products and companies.

APA

Changing Markets Foundation (2018). La fausse promesse de la certification. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/FALSE-PROMISE-EXEC-SUM-FR.pdf

Chicago

Changing Markets Foundation. La fausse promesse de la certification. 2018. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/FALSE-PROMISE-EXEC-SUM-FR.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Changing Markets Foundation |title=La fausse promesse de la certification |date=May 2018 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/FALSE-PROMISE-EXEC-SUM-FR.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{changingmarketsfoundation2018fausse, author = {{Changing Markets Foundation}}, title = {{La fausse promesse de la certification}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2018}, month = may, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/FALSE-PROMISE-EXEC-SUM-FR.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }