With a vision to streamline certification processes and increase the credibility of certification documentation worldwide, IFOAM has joined the bioC shareholder company. This new cooperation will enable the global uptake of the bioC certification directory platform by data providers (certification bodies) and data users (producers, traders, certification bodies, governments, and others), to provide and access real-time certification data. This platform assures that only certificates that have been validated by certification bodies as being authentic are included in the system, thereby making the appearance of fraudulent certificates in this system impossible.
Serving as a "one-stop shop", certification bodies and operators will also save time and money due to the greater efficiency of tracking certificates and the certification status of operators and products relevant to their own operations. Data is protected and confidentiality maintained at all times. The bioC system already has access to over 60,000 certificates; plans are now underway to expand this to achieve critical mass that facilitates worldwide adoption and all the benefits of convenience, efficiency, and integrity that go with it.
IFOAM believes this project will bring many benefits to the Organic Movement and encourages all certification bodies, producers, traders, and governments to participate.
Further information
Contact
Links
- bioC.info: Directory of Certified Organic Operators
- ifoam.org: Homepage of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements
About IFOAM e.V.
IFOAM is the international umbrella organization of the organic world dedicated to taking organic agriculture to the mainstream. IFOAM unites, leads and assists the organic movement in its full diversity, while providing a common voice on relevant organic issues. IFOAM implements the will of its broad-based constituency, with 800 Affiliates in more than 114 countries and is governed by a World Board originating from all continents.
About bioC
bioC is an initative of organic certification bodies, associations of the organic sector and service providers. The bioc GmbH was founded in December 2010. bioC primarily maintains a platform for organic certification bodies to publish data related to each operator in accordance with national legal regulations in each country as well as private standards. At present, 16 inspection bodies from serveral countries participate in the bioC project. They provide data from approximately 60,000 organic certified companies.