Information about the We Care label for companies
How does a company achieve We Care certification?
Further information for companies on the full We Care standard can be found here. We would be delighted to provide further information during an initial consultation with you. If you are interested in moving forward with the certification programme, you can then apply to the FiBL to undergo auditing and become part of the programme and, if appropriate, you can also apply to use the We Care label. This will be formalised in a licence agreement with the FiBL. An inspection body approved for the We Care standard is selected and an inspection agreement is concluded with that body.
FiBL Germany e.V. issues the We Care label when the audit has been successfully completed and the inspection body has submitted an audit report. Depending on the auditing level (basic or advanced), companies can then use the We Care label in their corporate communications.
What is the We Care label?
The We Care label demonstrates that a company has been certified according to a new, comprehensive and independent sustainability standard. The standard applies to food businesses and focuses in particular on supply chains. It offers scope to integrate and complement other rigorous standards. We Care therefore closes any gaps in the existing standards and sets a new benchmark. The We Care logo confirms that the certified companies’ management systems operate in accordance with environmental and CSR criteria both at their business sites and across all their supply chains. The criteria against which companies are inspected are documented in the We Care certification standard.
What are the benefits of the We Care standard?
We Care is a comprehensive sustainability standard for the food industry, which focuses especially on CSR and environmental aspects across all supply chains. It is a management system standard that audits and verifies whether companies are systematically operating in a sustainable and partnership-based way across all of their supply chains. This is why We Care exceeds the scope of other standards.
We Care standard improves the management systems of certified companies and ensures continual improvement of their sustainability performance. It helps companies to recognise the validity of different certifications held by their suppliers. We Care certification proves to external stakeholders that your company has been independently and comprehensively audited. This gives them full confidence that you are adhering to rigorous sustainability criteria across all your supply chains.
Certification can also support your risk management, particularly in light of the heightened national and international debate concerning corporate responsibility and fairness across increasingly international supply chains.
What is a management system – and what does it have to do with We Care?
In order to reliably meet self-imposed requirements, such as “flawless quality” or “sustainability management”, many companies set up internal systems and mechanisms using processes such as quality and sustainability management. These kinds of management systems map out and manage the required tasks, processes and responsibilities, taking into account objectives and general conditions. These sets of rules also help companies to continuously improve their sustainability performance. When applying We Care as a sustainability standard, processes and documents are used to check whether a company is fulfilling its sustainability claims every step of the way, for example, in terms of fair supply chains or environmentally-friendly ways of working.
Which types of company can become We Care certified?
Any food company that imports, processes or produces food themselves can become We Care certified. This also applies to wholesalers and retailers that partly or exclusively use third parties to produce raw materials or finished products.
Which criteria does We Care monitor specifically?
The certification process involves a comprehensive audit of a company’s sustainable business processes. This covers four key areas of action: corporate governance, supply chain management, environmental management and employee responsibility. Each area is subdivided into 164 criteria / The areas of action are subdivided into 164 criteria. Environmental management and employee responsibility apply to the company’s own on-site operations. These two areas focus primarily on standard sustainability issues, for example, GMO-free product ranges, biodiversity and animal welfare, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity protection and wages that are in line with the minimum wage or collective agreements.
Unlike other sustainability standards, We Care focuses heavily on supply chain management. It specifies in detail how companies must take responsibility for their actions throughout their entire supply chains if they wish to achieve We Care certification. This also includes defining and documenting all the measures they are undertaking. Companies must therefore establish rules for day-to-day processes and take immediate action if CSR, environmental or animal welfare standards are infringed in any of their supply chains. To achieve certification, a company must also prove that it has developed long-standing and trusted partnerships with its suppliers.
Procurement also plays a key role, which involves ensuring that fair prices are paid for raw materials. Suppliers must prove that they are We Care compliant in order to work with We Care-certified companies. To become We Care certified, companies must also be able to demonstrate that they oblige their business partners to sign up to a code of conduct in line with CSR standards. They must also check that these companies are actually following this code of conduct.
Which certification levels does We Care offer?
We Care both basic and advanced certification. Food companies that achieve basic level We Care certification are entitled to publicise this achievement in their corporate communications. Advanced certification must be achieved if a company wishes to place the We Care label on its actual products.
How can the We Care label be used in a company’s communications?
Organic certification confirms that a product and its ingredients have been grown and processed organically.
The We Care standard examines the goals, rules and documentation that are used to drive sustainability on a daily basis at company level. It is a management system standard that checks whether a company is honouring its commitments across the board by focusing on its supply chains and environmentally-friendly working practices. This standard therefore verifies whether companies are systematically operating in a sustainable and partnership-based way across their supply chains. The We Care standard therefore complements other organic standards perfectly.
What is the difference between the We Care label and the organic label?
Organic certification confirms that a product and its ingredients have been grown and processed organically.
The We Care standard examines the goals, rules and documentation that are used to drive sustainability on a daily basis at company level. It is a management system standard that checks whether a company is honouring its commitments across the board by focusing on its supply chains and environmentally-friendly working practices. This standard therefore verifies whether companies are systematically operating in a sustainable and partnership-based way across their supply chains. The We Care standard therefore complements other organic standards perfectly.
How does We Care differ from Fair Trade and other sustainability standards?
The We Care standard goes one step further than other sustainability standards because it closely examines the way environmental and CSR aspects are dealt with across all supply chains. These aspects are also carefully examined at a company’s own sites. Standard Fair Trade systems and sustainability labels certify individual products; however, they do not cover all aspects, including a company’s procurement practices. We Care therefore complements other We Care certifications perfectly.
Does working towards We Care certification mean a company has to be audited twice?
Many certification systems do not recognise other standards. This means it is often necessary to duplicate effort when seeking to achieve multiple certification. We Care It integrates numerous other rigorous standards and complements them appropriately. We Care recognises other equivalent environmental and CSR standards such as the EU’s Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS). This means that companies do not have to be audited twice, which avoids unnecessary costs. The preliminary stages can be based on a wide variety of existing CSR standards and do not have to focus on just one standard, which would involve having to audit your suppliers twice.
Which body is behind the We Care standard and what role does it play?
The German division of the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture e.V. (FiBL Germany) We Care for the We Care standard. The FiBL holds all the rights to the standard and the We Care label. The high standards of the We Care Care label and its continued development are assured by a steering committee made up of seven experts who operate under the independent auspices of the Research Institute. The steering committee is We Care’s most senior decision-making body and can make its decisions independently of the FiBL. The members of the steering committee are appointed on a three-year cycle. Four of its members are personally appointed from scientific, research and civil society organisations (Öko-Institut, Institute for Ecological Economic Research (IÖW), agroecology.science). The other three members each come from a certified company (manufacturing and trading companies) and a certifying company; they are each mandated by companies of the same type.
The other three members each come from a certified company (manufacturing and trading companies) and a certifying company; they are each mandated by companies of the same type. The scientific institutions always provide for the Chair and form a majority in the steering committee.
Why is there a need for another label for the food industry?
There are already numerous certification programmes in place that validate whether products are produced in a fair, sustainable or organic way at the raw material phase. We Care We Care focuses on sustainability management during the subsequent phases in the supply chains, for example, when goods are imported, manufactured and branded. We Care integrates numerous other individual standards and complements them appropriately. It recognises other equivalent environmental and CSR standards. This avoids unnecessary time and expense because companies do not have to duplicate audits or preliminary processes.
What exactly does We Care certify?
The We Care Standard is a sustainability standard. It verifies that food companies adopt a systematic, targeted and planned approach to sustainability and CSR across all their supply chains. The audit examines whether the company has defined its own goals, processes and measures for specified areas of action. It also examines whether employee tasks and responsibilities and documentation guidelines have been adequately defined. The comprehensive audit involves on-the-spot checks which verify whether the requirements have been implemented as part of day-to-day operations.
Does We Care guarantee living wages and ensure human rights are protected?
We Care is a sustainability certification programme that audits processes and documentation at companies’ main sites and carries out on-the-spot compliance checks with suppliers. The audits are based on the 164 criteria defined in the standard, which include adherence to human rights standards. (Please refer to the question “What exactly does We Care certify?”) In addition to verifying whether there are systematic processes and clear documentation in place, on-the-spot audits are also carried out on suppliers as part of the “supply chain management” area of action. The auditor decides which on-the-spot audits will be carried out. Fair remuneration practices and compliance with the International Labour Organization (ILO) core labour standards are among the criteria that are scrutinised. Each company must guarantee that specific criteria are being met. We Care verifies the evidence by scrutinising the documentation submitted and by carrying out on-the-spot audits at supplier premises.
Can other environmental or CSR standards be recognised to achieve certification?
Yes. Existing environmental and CSR standards are recognised during the certification process. This avoids the specified areas of action having to be audited twice.
Companies may accept different standards from their supply chain partners as equivalent proof of compliance. Their suppliers also do not require certification according to different systems, which avoids duplicating effort.
How is the standard structured and what is audited?
We Care audits four areas of action that are weighted differently:
- Corporate governance (30%)
- Supply chain management (30%)
- Environmental management (20%)
- Employee responsibility (20%)
In each of these, between 8 and 14 sustainability areas are audited, with 1 to 8 criteria for each area. As a sustainability standard, We Care does not audit a company’s individual products, but focuses instead on its approach to management and documentation. Achieving We Care certification proves that at its sites and across its supply chains the food company concerned is acting in a fair, sustainable and socially responsible way in accordance with verifiable criteria.
Who carries out the We Care certification process and how does it work?
Certification is carried out on behalf of FiBL Germany e.V. by certification bodies accredited to assess management systems in accordance with ISO 17021 and/or ISO 17065. Audits take place at twelve-month intervals. Re-certification takes place every three years, with additional inspections in between. The audit takes place at the company’s main premises. On-the-spot checks are also carried out at the company’s suppliers.
Does We Care comply with the requirements of the German Due Diligence Supply Chain Act?
The We Care standard was developed over several years through acquiring a practical understanding of important sustainability issues.It is run independently of the German Federal Government’s Due Diligence Supply Chain Act as this has not yet come into effect. The We Care standard and the Act both share very similar objectives for international supply chains. They both aim to ensure that companies comply with socially responsible and environmentally-friendly standards across all their supply chains for the benefit of people and the environment. We Care demonstrates that it is possible to apply very stringent standards in practice.
Why can companies that are not certified as organic become We Care certified?
The We Care standard aims to promote sustainability in the food industry. Conventional companies can also commit to making improvements in working conditions and environmental compliance across their supply chains. We Care audits a company’s procedures and operational processes. Companies that are not certified as organic can therefore also become We Care certified if they comply with the standard criteria.
However, only companies that produce or sell products that are at least 80 per cent organic can achieve the advanced level certification, which entitles them to use the We Care label on their products.
Further information
Contact
Axel Wirz
FiBL Deutschland e.V.
Tel: +49 69 713 7699 – 150
axel.wirz@fibl.org