Setting standards in Africa: Introduction to the African Ecolabelling

1. Setting standards in Africa: Introduction to the African Ecolabelling Mechanism and itsEcoMark Africa Andrew Maiyo ARSO Secretary General and Acting AEM Executive Manager 22nd November 2011, Windhoek Namibia

2. Benefits of Eco-labels Boosting trade • Efficient practices, and improvement in production capabilities and core competencies have a bearing on competitiveness • Expansion and access to niche markets that are sensitive to environmental friendly products • Builds trust in producers and sustains relationships with buyers • Increased market share • Governments are among the biggest buyers in the world and therefore SPP boosts trade

3. Benefits of Eco-labels • Sustainably managing natural resources • Conservation of biodiversity and soil fertility • Lower consumption of energy, water and raw materials • Minimisation of emissions to the environment during production and use • Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation • Production methods adapted to new conditions triggered by climate change • Low-emission production practices

4. Introduction to the EcoMark Africa: • EMA credibly verifies the sustainability profiles of African products to make them more competitive in international markets and secure them improved market access at • national • regional and • international level. • Thus, EMA creates incentives for the shift towards sustainable consumption and production patterns in Africa and supports adaptation to climate change and a green economy. • EMA adheres to the WTO principle of non-discrimination and addresses the concerns of developing countries in Africa.

5. Where Have We Come From? The African Eco-labelling Mechanism (AEM) as the pan-African political structure and technical framework will award the EcoMark Africa (EMA) label on the basis of a clear set of sustainability criteria.

6. Partnerships Institutionalization of the AEM • Time frame: December 2009 – March 2013 • Partners: • AUC (African Union Commission) • ARSO (African Organisation for Standardisation) • ARSCP (African Roundtable for Sustainable Consumption and Production) • UNEP (UN Environmental Programme) • RECs (African Regional Economic Communities) • UNIDO (UN Industrial Development Organisation) • UNECA (UN Economic Commission for Africa) • GIZ (German Development Cooperation) • Commissioned and funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) within the framework of its International Climate Initiative.

7. AEM Executive Board AUC (Chair), ARSO, ARSCP, 8 RECs, Business, Consumers International, UNECA, UNEP, UNIDO, BMU/GIZ AEM Technical Board ARSO (Chair), ARSCP, Chairs of Sector Working Groups, 3 Technical relevant technical institutions AEM Secretariat Tourism Sector Working Group Agriculture Sector Working Group Fisheries Sector Working Group Forestry Sector Working Group AEM organisation structure

8. Multi Stakeholder Involvement Sector Working Groups

9. Scope: Standards Priority Sectors At a later stage, the scope of the AEM shall be expanded to additional sectors

10. Scope: Standards • Agriculture • Requirements for sustainable agricultural production and processing within the operator’s boundaries • The EMA Agriculture Standard covers: • Crop farming • Livestock • Bee keeping • Fisheries • The EMA Fisheries Standard covers: • Marine capture • Inland capture • Aquaculture

11. Scope: Standards • Forestry • Requirements for the sustainable production, harvesting and processing of forest products • Applies to all tropical, temperate and boreal forests • Tourism • Requirements for tourism facilities such as hotels and camping facilities

12. Structure: Standards • Clear sets of Principles&Criteria • As generic as possible • Criteria on the following Principles are generic for the four sectors: • Legal Compliance • Social and Environmental Management Systems • Good Social Practice • As sector-specific as necessary • Criteria on sector-specific issues such as stock management for fisheries or soil management for agriculture and forestry

14. Implementation EMA – how will it work? • The EMA Standard consists of threshold criteria and indicators suitable for the African continent, aligning the three dimensions of sustainability in order to specifically address the challenges of climate change. • The standard is designed in such a way that: • existing standard systems may be benchmarked against it • accredited certifiers may use it to certify companies. • In both cases, operators who fulfil the requirements of the EMA standards may use the EMAlabel. • To include a large number of African smallholders, the EMA will also develop a capacity building programme.

15. Why Benchmarking? • Proliferation of standards can be confusing for consumers • However, different standards address different demands •  Need for harmonisation while maintaining the need for a certain level of diversity • Benchmarking creates transparency • Benchmarking can reduce certification costs: • Units certified by a benchmarked/recognised standard automatically comply with the reference standard •  Right to use both labels

16. AEM Structure to Award the Eco Mark Africa

17. How does Benchmarking work?

18. In Summary • EMA will: • Promote intra-African, national and international trade for Africa products • Facilitate access and expansion to niche market that are sensitive to environmental friendly products • Enhance progress towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by facilitating economic growth on a sustainable basis, and hence reduce poverty • Harmonized standards: saves on cost and time • Introduce practices that promotes green economy

19. Thank you for your attention! Please visit us at www.ecomarkafrica.com