BENCHMARKING OF SUSTAINABILITY CERTIFICATIONS
ROUND TABLE ON RESPONSIBLE SOY – RTRS
BASE DOCUMENT Certification Standard: RTRS Standard for Responsible Soy Production. Version 4.0.
CONTEXTUALIZATION The Round Table on Responsible Soy – RTRS is a certification standard with a strong presence in the soy production chain. The standard is an initiative of the International Association for Responsible Soy that began its development in 2004, with approval and implementation between 2010 and 2011. Its information is published and made available for free consultation. As far as this study is concerned, only in 2016 did it include the obligation of zero deforestation and zero conversion in the environmental protection areas of soy-producing farms. As informed by the RTRS, in 2020, 4,437,276 tons of grains were certified, covering 1,261,133 hectares of area, of which 563,047 hectares are protected areas in 9,536 certified farms. All information can be consulted through the website https://responsiblesoy.org/. The RTRS mission is to promote the growth of production, trade, and use of responsible soy through cooperation with actors in and around the soy value chain, from production to consumption in an open dialogue with the participants, including producers, suppliers, manufacturers, retailers, financial institutions, civil society organizations and other relevant actors.
The objectives of the RTRS are: 1. RTRS refrains from profit making. 2. The objectives of the RTRS are to promote the growth of production, trade and use of responsible soy through cooperation with stakeholders relevant to the soy value chain, from production to consumption, in an open dialogue with stakeholders, including producers, suppliers, manufacturers, retailers, financial institutions, civil society organizations and other relevant stakeholders. 3. Responsible soy is economically viable, socially beneficial, and environmentally appropriate. In particular, the RTRS should facilitate a global dialogue on responsible soy: 17