Toward SuSTainabiliTy: The roleS and limiTaTionS of ... - Resolve

Introduction 3work at the scale required.) As a follow-up, Marsand the Packard Foundation—together with theWalton Family Foundation—joined forces tosupport the organization of a multi-stakeholdercollaborative analysis of the state of knowledgeregarding standards and certifications systems.This analysis eventually came to be known asthe State-of-Knowledge Assessment of Standardsand Certification. The three organizations providedgrant support for RESOLVE, a nonprofitmediation and facilitation organization, to serveas Secretariat for the Assessment.In September 2009, RESOLVE and the Assessmentorganizers convened 34 experts, representing abroad array of interests and sectors, to providefeedback and ideas on the Assessment processand approach. Subsequently, the organizersinvited a small but diverse group of individualsto form the Assessment’s Steering Committee.The first Steering Committee call took place inDecember 2009, at which time the Committeeitself took responsibility for the process and workplanand proceeded to invite several additionalparties to join.ParticipationThe composition of the Steering Committeeis diverse, with representatives from corporations,environmental organizations, certifyingorganizations, and academia. (See Appendix N.)The Committee sought to include governmentrepresentation as well, but the agency officialsapproached said they preferred to stay informedof the proceedings but not involved.ProcessThe Steering Committee met in full plenary sessionfive times: in March and October 2010, andin March, July, and November 2011. They alsomet numerous times in conference calls andworking groups. (See Appendix M for a completeAssessment timeline.)Working groups organized early in the processcommissioned literature reviews to explore whatis known about certification in three specificindustry sectors: agriculture, wild-caught fisheries,and forestry. Another group exploredcross-cutting issues, such as drivers for uptakeand a typology of private governance systems.Later, a sector review on aquaculture was alsocommissioned. Ad hoc groups addressed issuesrelating to business drivers for pursuing certificationand pathways for the evolution of certificationsystems. As the process drew toward a conclusion,working groups were formed around eachof the chapters of this report.The literature reviews, as well as other researchand analysis commissioned from external consultants,significantly helped to inform the SteeringCommittee’s discussions and conclusions. In particular,the papers in the Appendices—includingthe sector reviews in Appendices D, E, F, and Gand other research contained in Appendices B,C, H, I, J, K, and L— were either developed by,or with the assistance of, consultants who wereexternal to the Steering Committee and are listedas authors.Throughout the process, Steering Committeemembers worked to build agreement on theproject’s vision, scope, process, and work plan;discussed in depth the relevant substantiveissues; drafted and reviewed report sections;and ultimately forged consensus around keyinsights and recommendations and the contentsof the six main chapters of this final report. TheAppendices, while commissioned by the SteeringCommittee, are independent products writtenby other authors. These materials should thusnot be construed as necessarily representing theSteering Committee’s views, even when the authoris a Steering Committee member, a funder, or theSecretariat. Committee members were guided byan agreed-upon terms of reference that outlinedthe roles and responsibilities of members. (SeeAppendix N.)By design, the Assessment was undertaken byindividuals who were actively involved in certificationsystems and who, during the course ofthe deliberations, were thinking and speakingfrom their own experience as well as analyzingpublished academic and nonacademic literature.Toward Sustainability: The Roles and Limitations of Certification