RTRS: Hike in number of certified sites shows ‘commitment to sustainable soy’ by processors, traders
Between November 2019 and July 2020, 33 new sites in Argentina, Brazil, India, The Netherlands, Paraguay, and Turkey were certified against the standard, including 11 ports, said the organization.
It said the sites were certified against RTRS Chain of Custody Standard under RTRS mass balance and/or segregation, including, in some cases, the RTRS non-GMO scope.
RTRS Chain of Custody Standard establishes requirements for the different traceability systems that an organization must implement to keep control of the inventories of soy certified against RTRS Standard for Responsible Soy Production. It must be applied across the entire supply chain and it is mandatory for organizations wishing to receive, process and trade RTRS soybeans or soy byproducts.
The certificate is valid for five years and annual surveillance audits are part and parcel of the standard.
Last year, we reported on how Cereal Docks in Italy obtained RTRS Chain of Custody Standard, the first soy crushing facility in Europe to do so.
“The number of certified sites shows the strengthening of the RTRS sustainable soy supply system worldwide.
“RTRS celebrates this significant progress in terms of commitment to sustainable soy shown by processing and trading companies, that choose RTRS certification as a practical and reliable tool to fulfill their sustainability goals and therefore those of other players in the soy value chain
“This is a milestone in the supply of RTRS physical material (mass balance) showing that achievements of scale are possible through the joint effort of all players across the soy value chain," commented the organization.
To date, 84 sites worldwide are certified to receive RTRS-certified physical soy.
Newly certified RTRS Chain of Custody standard sites
The RTRS outlined the locations of the recently certified sites.
In Europe, Bunge certified one site in The Netherlands, which includes four central offices, one storage and one processing plant; and in Asia, in India, Kriti Nutrients Limited certified a processing plant.
In respect of developments in Latin America, Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) certified two sites in Argentina, each with a storage and processing plant, along with two ports in Santa Fe Province, in Timbúes, San Lorenzo, and General Lagos in Rosario.
COFCO International also obtained certification for three sites in Argentina, which include one storage, one processing facility and one port in the industrial complex in Santa Fe Province, Timbúes and two storage plants in the provinces of Córdoba and Salta.
Sticking with Argentina, Alimentos de Soja SA certified one site, which includes one receiving area, one storage facility, one processing plant and one packaging plant, and also Bullmark SRL certified one site, which includes one storage, sorting and bagging facility.
In Brazil, LDC certified six sites, including three storage facilities, a processing plant and two ports, one in Santos, São Paulo, and one in Santarém, Pará. Vegetallis Indústria e Comércio also certified a processing plant in Paraná.
Looking to Paraguay, COFCO International certified 10 sites in that country, including 10 storage facilities and four ports: Puerto Pacu Cua in Encarnación, SARCOM in Rosario, SARCOM San Antonio and Custodia in Villeta.
LDC also certified three sites in Paraguay - three storage facilities, a processing plant and two ports, Trociuk in Encarnación and Caiasa in Villeta.
Furthermore, in Brazil, in December 2019, Cataratas do Iguaçu Produtos Orgânicos Ltda certified three sites including a processing plant, two storage facilities and one transshipment in Paranaguá, Paraná.
In November 2019, Sodrugestvo Turkey Tarim certified a processing plant in Turkey.
