A group of organizations, including the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Preferred by Nature, the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB), and the Sustainable Biomass Program (SBP), are joining forces as the Risk Information Alliance (RIA).

Increasing regulatory requirements such as the EU Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR) and market pressure for responsibly produced products are posing a serious challenge to businesses, certification schemes and producers in agricultural and forest-based sectors. The RIA will develop and maintain credible risk assessments with a range of partners and across commodities offering value beyond the EUDR. Through an innovative and collaborative approach, the Alliance will encourage risk data sharing in a pre-competitive sphere and cut through the complex and costly landscape facing companies and sustainability systems.

“Historically, businesses, certification schemes and other stakeholders have worked in isolation to evaluate risks. Without coordination, it is easy to imagine how they may come to different conclusions for the same indicators, wasting time, resources, and potential impact,” said David Hadley, Regulatory Impact Programme Director at Preferred by Nature.

“This alliance will create a common language, making sure that businesses, authorities and stakeholders in forestry and agriculture are working effectively towards the same goal. The more organizations that contribute, the greater the impact will be,” said Kim Carstensen, FSC Director General.

The RIA benefits from the award of a grant under the ISEAL Innovations Fund, which receives generous support from principal donor, the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). The ISEAL Innovations Fund supports ISEAL members to join forces in exploring new, ambitious solutions to key sustainability challenges. The grant has been awarded to SBP and Preferred by Nature and covers the two years to the end of 2025. It is matched in-kind by SBP and Preferred by Nature.
more at: https://fsc.org/en/newscentre/eudr/global-sustainability-organizations-form-alliance-to-share-risk-information

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