Certification Schemes Research Articles

Exploring the hybridization from policy learning on the forest-certification schemes in China

The policy of forest certification in China is a collaborative tactic for environmental entities to influence local politics based on the declaration of a national “Five-Year Plan” by President Xi Jin-Ping in the 2010s. This is due to the homogeneous impact led by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to hybridize Chinese forestry management with organizational autonomy, policy participation, and power-sharing. While the Chinese public agencies learned professional knowledge and institutions from the IOs, they also required the FSC to embrace the Chinese characteristics of local politics, standards, and the legitimacy of international principles. Two findings from the research are revealing: First, the FSC and IO’s central role of civil empowerment enhanced the China’s power-sharing with local stakeholders for cultivating the China certification scheme; second, the FSC’s principle modification embraced the Chinese characteristics to reform the policy hybridization mechanism under the political culture of Administrative Absorption of Society. The innovative purpose of this research is to employ the homogeneous and heterogeneous dimensions to explore the influential factors of policy hybridization from a network perspective.

탄소중립을 위한 친환경선박 인증제도의 개선방향에 관한 연구

Total shipping accounts for 2.9 % of the annual average percentage of global anthropogenic GHG emissions. The International Maritime Organization implements EEDI (Energy Efficiency Design Index), Energy Efficiency eXisting-ship Index (EEXI), and Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) as regulatory frameworks for shipping decarbonization. The Republic of Korea has enforced the Act on Development and Popularization of Greenship from 2020 and publicly announced the 1st national plan which was named 『2030 Greenship-K Promotion Strategy』 for the activation of a greenship market. The Greenship Certification Scheme is going on for the sustainability of Korean shipbuilding and shipping industries, to secure clean maritime environments, as well as to contribute to the national economy. Greenship Certification guarantees the credit of such eco-friendly technologies and products for shipping. The certification is going to be the basis of industrial competitiveness in coastal and international shipping. This study investigates an existing certification process, identifies the limitations, and proposes the process improved with several case studies. The improved certification scheme may have rationality for Net-zero with regard to climate alignment.

Agricultural certification as a complementary tool for environmental law compliance

Agricultural sustainability standards are an important way of reducing commodity expansion's pressures on biodiversity. Despite the increase of global area under certification and mounting evidence of positive socioeconomic outcomes, certification-derived conservation benefits are less clear. We applied a robust counterfactual approach with a difference-in-difference methodology to quantify the environmental consequences of certification in one of the largest coffee-producing areas in the world, in southern Brazil, within the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado biomes. We evaluated whether the adoption of certification standards affected native vegetation regeneration and deforestation, the proportion of vegetation deficit within each farm (the required area to achieve Federal Legislation required vegetation cover), and the conservation of sensitive vegetation protected under law across 531 certified farms. We did not detect certification-derived effects on the natural vegetation cover deficit and on deforestation and regeneration rates, which were low for certified and non-certified farms. However, we found that certified farms are restoring more sensitive areas than non-certified farms in the Atlantic Forest, which indicates a potential combined effect between law enforcement and certification. We suggest that in more consolidated landscapes, certification beneficial impacts on deforestation and regeneration might be more limited than observed in areas with weaker governance, such as agricultural frontiers or low-income countries. However, our results demonstrate the potential for certification schemes to complement and promote environmental legislation compliance. These potential combined effects between private sustainability standards and compliance with government environmental policies could provide a potent tool for improving the effectiveness of certification schemes in other high-biodiversity landscapes.

Certification of photon Fock states using second-order nonlinearity

Certifying whether a photon Fock state is present or not while preserving its quantum state is an important task that proves useful in quantum technologies. The existing methods to perform such task apply to single photons only and consume costly quantum resources. In this paper, we propose a resource-efficient scheme for certification of an arbitrary (nonvacuum) photon Fock state by using second-order nonlinearity. In particular, we utilize the correlations in both photon number and polarization of a stimulated parametric downconversion process to herald the presence and the quantum state of an incoming Fock state. The proposed scheme works excellently with a near perfect certification fidelity even when using nonideal photodetectors. We then compare our scheme with the existing ones taking into account relevant figures of merit for each method. We also present applications of our scheme in overcoming transmission loss of photons in quantum channels as well as in preparation of NOON states, $(|N\ensuremath{\rangle}|0\ensuremath{\rangle}+|0\ensuremath{\rangle}|N\ensuremath{\rangle})/\sqrt{2}$. Our paper introduces to the optical toolbox a practical technique that is beneficial for quantum communication and quantum metrology.

Role of low carbon emission H2 in the energy transition of Colombia: Environmental assessment of H2 production pathways for a certification scheme

• Carbon footprint threshold for H 2 production in Colombia. • Stakeholders for the low carbon emission, high-quality H 2 certification scheme in Colombia. • Emission threshold of green-H 2 determined as 4.13 kg CO 2 -eq/kg H 2. • Green-H 2 from biomass gasification is environmentally friendly. • Installed wind and solar energy capacities must be increased to meet the low carbon-H 2 demand. Hydrogen (H 2 ) is a low-carbon carrier. Hence, measuring the impact of its supply chain is key to guaranteeing environmental benefits. This research proposes a classification of H 2 in Colombia based on its carbon footprint and source. Such environmental characterization enables the design of regulatory instruments to incentivize the demand for low carbon-H 2 . Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to determine the carbon footprint of H 2 production technologies. Based on our LCA, four classes of H 2 were defined based on the emission threshold: (i) gray-H 2 (21.8 - 17.0 kg CO 2 -eq/kg H 2 ), (ii) low carbon-H 2 (4.13 – 17.0 kg CO 2 -eq/kg H 2 ), (iii) blue-H 2 (<4.13 kg CO 2 -eq/kg H 2 ), and (iv) green-H 2 (<4.13 kg CO 2 -eq/kg H 2 ). While low carbon-H 2 could be employed to reduce 22% of the national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as defined in the National Determined Contribution (NDC), both blue and green-H 2 could be employed for national and international trade since the standard emissions are aligned with international schemes such as CertifHy and the Chinese model. Besides, gasification of biomass results in environmental savings, indicating that biomass is a promising feedstock for international and local trade. Furthermore, combinations of H 2 production technologies such as renewable-based electrolysis, natural gas steam reforming with CCS, and ethanol conversion were evaluated to explore the production of a combination of green- and blue-H 2 to meet the current and future demand of low carbon emission H 2 in Colombia. However, to comply with the proposed carbon emission threshold, the installed capacities of solar and wind energies must be increase.

Pain areas in implementation of the Employer based Certification Schemes for Qualification and Certification of NDT Personnel.

Worldwide, two prominent Schemes in NDT Training and Certification are prevalent - Employer-based schemes (based on SNT-TC-1A) and Central Certification Schemes (based on ISO 9712). Even though ISO 9712 is getting more visibility, the employer-based schemes are still widely used in the industry. The Written Practice is playing a pivotal role in the employer-based scheme. Even though this requirement has been around since the beginning, there are still some misconceptions regarding the implementation of the Written Practice. Many times, the owner of the Written Practice (employer) is not well aware of the requirements, and this may defeat the purpose of the Employer based Certification Scheme. This paper is detailing the salient features of the WP and the difficulties faced in the implementation of the WP. The pain areas covered are: 1. Education 2. Experience 3. Vision Test 4. Training and training Programs 5. Examination - General, Specific, Practical 6. Practical examination Samples 7. Certification 8. Re-certification 9. Technical Performance evaluation 10. Adding new techniques This paper is based on our extensive experience with several ASME Certification Audits and the discussions held with various Team Leaders, Authorized Inspector Supervisors and Authorized Inspectors and our field experience. The paper will recommend good practices to be followed in the implementation of the Employer based scheme.

A review on participation of cocoa smallholders in agricultural certification scheme

The ability of cocoa smallholders to comply with the agricultural certification scheme has led to the improvement of commodity profits in agriculture, especially cocoa crops. This study aims to determine the participation of cocoa smallholders in agricultural certification schemes. Cocoa production contributes to the national economy by generating exchange profits. Factors such as the age of smallholders, gender, training, farming experience, education, and attitude influence the smallholder’s participation in the agricultural certification scheme. Educational status had a significant positive relationship with the certification scheme. Based on the review, the multinomial logistic regression model and other methods are used to analyse smallholders’ participation in the certification. Therefore, the certification has some benefits for smallholders in terms of food safety standards. Consequently, it can improve the safety of the consumer, the livelihood of smallholders, and the quality of agricultural products. This capacity will locate the cocoa crops at the global demand linked together from top to down of the value chain process.

Eningkatan Kompetensi Bidang Akuntansi Bagi Guru SMK yang Tergabung Dalam MGMP Akuntansi Kota Cimahi

The quality of teachers in vocational education has an important role in producing graduates who are competitive in the industry. In fact, there are still many Vocational High School (SMK) teachers who do not yet have expertise competency certificates. This is one of the reasons for the high unemployment rate in Indonesia, which is dominated by SMK graduates at 10.42 percent in August 2019. According to the head of the Accounting Subject Teacher Board (MGMP) in the Cimahi, 21 accounting teachers members of the MGMP do not have a competency certificate. Based on these problems, we held training activities to add insight for vocational teachers regarding competency certification for accounting teachers in vocational schools in accordance with the competency certification scheme, and improve practical teaching skills through practicum modules that are in accordance with industrial conditions. The implementation of the PKM program begins with compiling training materials, conducting online pre-tests, evaluating pre-test results, training 5 competency units online, conducting face-to-face competency test simulations, providing simulation scoring results, and providing feedback regarding scoring results. From the results of this activity, the teachers who were treated showed high enthusiasm and were able to receive the training material well with indicators of post test results that were better than the pre test.Keywords: Competency Certification; Vocational high School; Accounting Competence

Policy Instruments to Support Agroecological Transitions in Europe

SummaryAgroecological transitions have the potential to deliver multiple environmental and social benefits. However socio‐economic barriers have prevented those transitions in many European contexts. This article aims to inform policymakers about policy instruments that can foster agroecological transitions in Europe, especially by removing key socio‐economic barriers. A multi‐step methodology was carried out over a two‐year period in 15 case studies across Europe. The case studies represent farming systems that are in the process of initiating or enhancing the transition. Data collection relied on a participatory process, involving a variety of transdisciplinary actors. Study findings identify three major themes of barriers to agroecological transitions, namely actor capacity, value chain and policy. To address these barriers, policy instruments should consider the farming system’s stage in the transition pathway to take account of the different priorities of local actors. At the stage of initiating the transition, removing the barriers requires improvements in knowledge delivery mechanisms by strengthening advisory services and reducing decision‐makers’ uncertainty. At the stage of enhancing the transition, a focus on social capital is needed, for example by strengthening networking and cooperation measures. Generally, more attention towards state interventions which support the transitions to agroecology is needed, such as developing new voluntary agroecology certification schemes and public procurement initiatives.

Econometric analysis of choice drivers and willingness to pay for certified forest biomasses for energy

In the field of fuels generated from renewable resources, woody biomasses have found fertile ground for labelling. Indeed, several certification schemes have been developed, covering not only the sustainability of forest management, but also the chain of custody, allowing the traceability of products at different stages, from production to purchase. This study aims to investigate whether there is a willingness to pay for forest products for energy purposes with sustainability or quality certifications (FSC, PEFC and ENplus certifications) and what determines it, using pellets as reference product for the study. To do so, an exploratory analysis has been conducted, firstly using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for a dimensional reduction and, subsequently, an ordered logistic regression. The results show that more than 30% of consumers are mainly willing to pay up to 10% more for PEFC and FSC certified pellets than for non-certified products, indicating a strong attention by consumers towards environmental issues, the quality certifications that can be adopted for pellets, and the attitude of consumers towards local and recycled products.

The socio‐economic impact of certification schemes in conflict‐affected regions: The case of arabica coffee in the Eastern DRC

AbstractThe paper investigates the benefits of certification of cooperatives in conflict‐affected areas. We study whether and how certification may contribute to attenuate the impact of conflicts on the members of coffee cooperatives in the Eastern DRC. We use an inverse probability weighted difference‐in‐difference approach to study data collected between December 2017 and October 2019 from four NGO‐supported cooperatives. Two of these cooperatives got organic certification in 2018, of which one got an additional Small Producers Symbol (SPP) certification in 2018. Certified cooperatives allow Arabica coffee producers to access markets and buffer against drops in market prices. Results indicate that certified cooperatives were better able to resist the international price drop than non‐certified cooperatives and the alternative informal markets. The results also suggest that certified cooperative members increased their sales to the cooperative instead of turning to informal side‐selling. We find a decrease in reported food deficits by the members of certified cooperatives and an increase in the importance of coffee in their household's income. We conclude that certification is an effective way forward for smallholder coffee producers and cooperatives in unstable regions.

Justice and Inclusiveness: The Reconfiguration of Global–Local Relationships in Sustainability Initiatives in Ghana’s Cocoa Sector

Pressure from the public and non-governmental organisations is pushing lead companies in the cocoa and chocolate sectors towards becoming more environmentally sustainable and socially just. Because of this, several sustainability programmes, certification schemes and delivery initiatives have been introduced. These have changed the relationship between chocolate companies, cocoa exporters, and small-scale farmers. This paper observes how large companies in the cocoa export and consumer markets are shifting away from their traditionally remote position in the cocoa sector. The pressure to ensure sustainability and justice has provoked more mutually dependent relationships with cocoa producers. Our analysis outlines the implications this emerging reconfiguration of global-local relationships has for procedural justice principles of interdependence and refutability, and the distributive justice principles of need and equity. These principles are important because they enable the different dimensions of inclusion: ownership, voice, risk, and reward. This paper highlights and qualifies arrangements surrounding these justice principles that manifest in the way five service delivery initiatives - associated with sustainability programmes and led by major buying companies in Ghana’s cocoa sector – are implemented. We show inclusiveness as an outcome of dynamic global-local relationships that are constantly reworked in response to smallholder farmers’ agency and state regulations. Portraying inclusiveness as an outcome of interactions changes its conceptualisation from a predefined ethical standpoint included in the design of standards to a result of unfolding mutual dependencies, which refashion how inclusive agriculture value chains work.

The effect of eco-certification on demand: The case of MSC-certified Norway lobster

We investigate if Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified Norway lobster fishing vessels in Sweden got higher prices and sold larger quantities after certification was introduced in 2015. Using detailed daily panel data and exploiting the fact that the same fishing water contains both certified and non-certified vessels, we use a difference-in-difference model for analysing demand effects of MSC-certification. We find a price premium the first months after the launch of the certification scheme for the initial adopters. However, this price premium dissipates over time and is mainly found for trawler vessels. For trawlers, we also find a negative effect on sold quantities the first months after certification but a positive effect a few years after certification. Creelers, on the other hand, got a positive effect on quantities sold both immediately after certification and after a few years. No general effect of MSC certification is found on neither prices nor quantities when the entire period January 2012 – January 2018 is investigated.

Environmental Certification Schemes Based on Political Ecology: Case Study on Urban Agricultural Farmers in Bandung Metropolitan Area, Indonesia

Urban farmers who want to produce food for export must adhere to an environmental certification program due to the scarcity of resources in cities and the unpredictability of the international food trade. This paper employs a descriptive narrative technique along with a qualitative methodology. The relevant data were collected through observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation, and analyzed by condensation, data presentation, and drawing conclusions or verification. Our results suggested that certification was not yet a useful tool for persuading farmers to adopt more environmentally friendly farming practices. The majority of the agricultural business techniques used by export-scale urban farmers are not organic. There was a tendency for farmers to complete certification if it was required for export. In the meantime, social certification, food safety, and content quality were just recommendations made by international organizations rather than being strictly enforced, particularly in Indonesia.

Assessing the trade and welfare effects of certification schemes: The case of GlobalGAP in Ghana's mango sector

The study analyzes the trade and welfare effects of GlobalGAP certification using primary data collected from 224 mango farmers in Southern Ghana. The multivariate probit model and an endogenous switching regression (ESR) model were used to estimate the effects of certification on the choice of marketing channels, quantity sold and income, respectively. The results show that certified farmers are less likely to supply to local traders and more likely to sell to industrial processors and the export market. The study found that certification increased quantity sold to high-value markets by 12% for certified farmers. GlobalGAP certification also has the potential to increase income by 20% more for farmers who opt to be certified. It is, therefore recommended that government and development partners shouldcontribute to the development of the technical and financial capacities of farmers in order to enhance farmers’ participation in certification schemes.

Private actors and food safety governance in the Accra City Region: Implications for local food policy

Globally, private actors and civil society groups are increasingly participating in food safety governance. Although prevalent in developed countries, the phenomenon is emerging in developing countries. Using certification schemes, actors behind these governance arrangements exercise responsibilities over the food system through the enforcement of best practices, the promotion and sale of certified products, and the communication of diverse value-laden product attributes to consumers through labels. In Ghana, a new food safety governance arrangement – the Ghana Green Label Foundation – has emerged through the collaboration of multiple state and non-state actors. The arrangement represents the first successful introduction of a co-regulation regime in Ghana, achieving local market adoption and consumer patronage. This article examines the evolution of the Foundation, highlighting its trajectory towards market entry, for possible transfer of lessons into other geographic contexts. The location of this study, with a large informal food market sector, as well as the interdependence on peripheral areas and other farther regions for food supply, provide a unique context for adding to the international food governance literature. The article makes recommendations on how local policymakers could sustain the Foundation to contribute to long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability goals.

South Korean social enterprises and their networks: On their organizational linkages at the interstice between the third, public, and corporate sectors

AbstractSocial enterprise and government interactions have become an increasingly prominent theme in the literature on social entrepreneurship, due in part to the pressures confronting the welfare state and the rise of precarious work. This analysis is motivated by the efforts of the government of South Korea to incubate social enterprises since 2007. The constant scaling of the South Korean government's monitored social enterprise certification scheme had led to the registration of approximately 3440 social enterprises as of May 2021. This study documents the interorganizational network behaviour of these enterprises relative to the public sector, corporate sector, and civil society and the social economy. A cluster analysis approach is utilized to analyse network data obtained from a self‐administered survey of 103 government‐certified social enterprises operating in South Korea. We find that a sizeable number of government‐certified social enterprises have diversified networks, as opposed to public sector‐centric networks, although such social enterprises are in the minority. This study references social innovation cluster theory to argue that the aforementioned scheme has attained a partial degree of success in facilitating the emergence of social enterprises with diversified networks.However, the majority remain quasi‐governmental implementers of government contracts and, generally, do not engage in networking.

Policies to regulate data sharing of cohorts via data infrastructures: An interview study with funding agencies

BackgroundPlatforms are being constructed to stimulate cohort data sharing. Nevertheless, many policy barriers impede data sharing. Various interventions have been proposed to address these barriers, including incentive creation and data sharing mandates for researchers. AimTo understand funding agencies’ perspectives on policy interventions to encourage data sharing. MethodsMembers of funding agencies were recruited to participate in semi-structured interviews. Nearly all funding agencies are situated in European countries. Interview transcripts were analyzed through inductive content analysis. ResultsMandates for cohort data sharing are not supported by agencies due to data protection regulations and the preconditions for issuing mandates. Recommendation of platforms may be based on certification schemes, such as repository accreditation. Monitoring mechanisms for cohort data sharing are currently absent, which complicates assessing compliance of researchers with funding agencies’ policies and evidence production. Funding agencies are not imposing conditions on data access committees. ConclusionsPolicy measures that, in some ways, restrict the decision-making authority of researchers in terms of data sharing are not generally supported. Concrete steps are proposed to enable evidence-based policy making. Incentive design is paramount if funding agencies do not wish to impose restrictions on the decision-making authority of researchers.

PM 4/17 (3) Certification scheme for olive trees and rootstocks

<scp>PM</scp> 4/17 (3) Certification scheme for olive trees and rootstocks

(In)visible agents in regional development: Active individuals and their networks as a driver of regional product labelling initiatives

Support for regional production along with its certification and labelling can be understood more broadly as regional development initiatives. Accordingly, the declared objectives of many certification schemes include environmental, economic, social, and cultural aspects. However, to bring benefits for the region, a certification scheme must be used efficiently. Key actor interviews combined with an assessment of the activities of thirty Czech certification schemes, all members of the Association of Regional Brands, helped us identify positive and negative factors affecting the initiatives’ success and potential for enhancing regional development. In line with current institutional approaches to regional development, the engagement and creativity of actors as well as creating networks, which help them overcome various constraints, were found to be essential.