The Round Table on Responsible Soy Association is an international multi-stakeholder initiative that brings together those concerned with the impacts of the soy economy. Its main goal is to reach a consensus on what constitutes responsibly-grown and processed soy, and promote the best available practices to mitigate negative impacts throughout the value chain. The RTRS´s main instrument is dialogue between groups with different interests and backgrounds, in order to define some common ground for action. They share the recognition of the problems and the desire to work together to solve them, improving the way the soy business works. The more organizations participate in this effort, the more it will be democratic, transparent and effective. To learn more, click here.

The Round Table on Responsible Soy Association is made up of a General Assembly composed of three different groups. The first is formed by soy farmers. The second is made up of industrial companies (including soy traders), retail companies and financial institutions. The third category congregates civil society organizations. Each of these three constituencies has equal voting rights, no matter what its size, power or number of members.
Other stakeholders, such as government institutions and research organizations can participate as observing members, but have no voting rights.
In addition, there is a Development Group (DG) of experts that is working on a document that will define what is responsibly-grown and -processed soy. These experts, some of which are RTRS members and some not, come from a wide variety of specialized fields.
You can check the updated list of RTRS members here.

The adoption of a new soy production paradigm depends on the intense engagement of all stakeholders. This effort will help conciliating players that are frequently on different sides, but that can join forces and establish common objectives. For this to happen, it´s important to attract more and more organizations - either for-profit or not-for-profit - so this dialogue remains transparent and inclusive.

The concept of responsible soy is still to be defined in both concrete and practical terms. The Development Group (DG) is working on this concept, and used as a starting point a list of Principles of soy production for the creation of a standard for the soy sector. This standard is expected to be published by 2009 and it will include verifiable principles, criteria and indicators that will define the responsible production and processing of soy beans.
Click here to see the latest version of the Principles and Criteria.

While soy is an important source of protein for humans and animals, as well as income and foreign currency in producing countries, it also entails extensive cultivation and the expansion of agricultural frontiers. Its environmental issues range from deforestation and water pollution to soil erosion and loss of biodiversity. Soy expansion frequently generates social conflicts and tension between producers and local communities - concerning, for example, land rights, labor rights and rural migration.

The RTRS is committed to promoting the adoption of these principles by companies, farmers and civil society organizations throughout the soy value chain worldwide. RTRS will help organize ways for society to monitor adherence to these Principles and Criteria. The RTRS is also working on an Outreach Program to farmers, importers and consumers in several countries, so that the concept of responsible soy can be spread across all sectors of society.

The principles adopted by the RTRS recommend several measures of responsible use and disposal of chemicals, including the reduction of its overall use and the use of low toxicity products.

The RTRS wishes to promote responsible soy production irrespective of the type of production model. Any production model has room for improvement - be it genetically modified, conventional, organic or others - and each of the practiced production models will need model-specific improvement indicators. The RTRS will help to design model-specific criteria for responsible production.

The RTRS works towards the improvement of labor conditions, the respect for workers´ freedom of association, the provision of fair salaries, the adequate handling of health and safety issues. It is also inspired by the main International Labor Organization conventions.

The RTRS recognizes the importance of forests, rivers, biodiversity and fragile ecosystem conservation. It stresses the importance of respecting legal limits on deforestation, all conservation areas and international treaties on that matter. The RTRS also recognizes that society must create mechanisms to remunerate farmers and other landowners who preserve biodiversity-rich areas.

Food security is of the utmost concern to all of us. The RTRS prefers to remain neutral on whether additional cultivated acreage devoted to soy should be used for food or for biofuels. Our main concern is that soy be grown and processed in a responsible manner, be it for food or for biofuels.

No. The governance structure, whereby each of the three constituencies has veto right over any issue that comes to vote, assures that civil society organizations, farmers and industry/trade/finance institutions each have equal say in the process. Approval of any major issue, such as the document that defines responsible soy, must have a majority vote of each of these constituencies. It does not matter how many members are in that constituency - as a block, that category has equal say as the others. Besides, the RTRS is working on a Code of Conduct for its members, in order to promote a shared responsibility among actors in the soy value chain.

The RTRS is financed by its members, that pay annual fees, by several governments, and by private sponsors, including trade associations and corporations. More information can be obtained here.