‘TRACEABILITY AND MARKET CLAIM’ WORKING GROUP TO SUPPORT RTRS WITH DEVELOPING ITS TRACEABILITY STRATEGY TO SUPPORT RTRS WITH DEVELOPING ITS TRACEABILITY STRATEGY

As that the draft RTRS Principles and Criteria have been approved and are being field tested, the RTRS certification system is ready to design the supply chain, traceability and labelling mechanisms. To support the RTRS in this, the RTRS wants to set up a multi-stakeholder ‘Traceability and Market Claim Working Group’.

The objective of the ‘Traceability and Market Claim Working Group’ is to:

“Identify different valid and credible options and strategies to link responsible soy production in origin to the claim/message of Responsible Soy to end customers, taking into account the reality and specific characteristics of the mainstream soy trade and industry”

The outcome of the Working Group will be a strategic advice to the RTRS board with a SWOT of 2-3 different viable, credible and efficient supply chain traceability and market claim scenarios, including growth strategies and their relation to other certification elements.

Membership
The Working Group is a multi-stakeholder organ and consists of 15 members, each member being an expert on its own stakeholder group. Any organization that has a direct involvement in the soy supply chain (from producers, trader-and processors, retailers and brands, to NGO’s and branch organizations) are welcome and encouraged to apply for membership. We welcome membership diversity based on constituency, geography and gender.

Expectations
All Working Group members must genuinely support the mission and vision of RTRS and the Traceability and Market Claim Working Group, rather than that of their own organisation or personal belief. As a Working Group member you are expected to actively participate in the process and share your knowledge and expertise to the benefit of the Working Group’s objective. The TMC Working Group will work under the supervision of a Steering Committee that consists of 2-4 representatives of the RTRS board and IDH (as the funder of this project) and will be supported and facilitated by NewForesightTM . The Working Group calls for 2 physical meetings (1 in Europe, and 1 in Latin America) and a number of telephone- and web conferences at regular intervals. Membership is free of charge, however expenses like travel and accommodations costs are at the expense of the member. The project is scheduled to deliver its final result February 2010.

Why join?
Membership of the TMC WG provides many opportunities for you as a company, including:

• The ability to help steer and shape the RTRS’s supply chain traceability and labelling mechanisms by imparting your specific technical/scientific expertise.
• A chance to ensure that RTRS’s traceability model will fit the reality of the soy industry.
• An opportunity to learn about different traceability models and their relation with market claims and other certification elements.
• An opportunity to become known for your commitment to RTRS's objective through actively supporting the development of the RTRS .

Interested?
You can apply for membership of the TMC Working Group by sending an email to marrit.rooda@newforesight.nl before November 16, specifying the reason why you want to become a member and the added value that you will bring to the process.  The  selection and admission of WG members is at the discretion of the Steering Committee and will be based on: 1.) the motivation of the organization to join and strengthen the TMC WG, 2.) the knowledge and experience of the organization’s representative in the soy business, and 3.) the reputation of the organization with the emphasis on environmental and social matters. The TMC Working Group members will be announced through the RTRS website on  Friday November 20.

The Terms of Engagement (ToE) for the Traceability and Market Claim Working will be set up together with the working group members upon the first working group meeting.