Certification systems seek to ensure that products meet a set of agreed-upon standards. These programmes can be designed to encourage compliance with national and international environmental laws, or to go “beyond compliance” and to protect the environment more than the law requires. Many certification programmes are voluntary, market-driven mechanisms that use independent third-party verifiers to ensure that the certified goods adhere to the certification criteria. [These independent verifiers are usually accredited institutions or individuals who are not employed or otherwise affiliated with the producers.] Not all certification systems rely on third-party verifiers, but such independent verifiers can lend credibility to a certification system.
Certification systems can be national or international in scope. International programmes confer the benefits of increased economies of scale (e.g. increased efficiency with increased volume) and the standardisation of systems across participating nations. In contrast, the smaller scale of national certification systems allows them to be tailored more specifically to domestic conditions. Some national systems are endorsed or operated by government agencies while others are operated by trade associations or other entities.
Most certification systems are either (1) process-oriented or (2) end-product oriented. Process-oriented systems verify that products or materials are being produced according to a set of standards. End-product systems certify that the product itself has a certain quality.
The standards in process-oriented certification programmes are often designed to ensure the sustainability of the process. The question of what is sustainable can generate significant debate in any industry; and certification can offer an established set of criteria for determining sustainability in a particular context. Certification programmes can address the sustainability of the production process in a variety of ways. For example, certification can emphasise environmental considerations of production, such as organic agriculture and sustainable timber. Certification systems can also focus on the social impacts that industries may have on their employees (e.g., labour standards) and the communities in which they operate (e.g., “conflict” diamonds). Some certification systems address both social and environmental issues, such as the Forest Stewardship Council certification (see discussion, below). In this way, a single certification system can promote sound environmental management, adequate labour standards, and equitable sharing of benefits with the local community.
One example of process-oriented certification relates to “conflict” diamonds. In some States, diamonds are mined illegally in war-torn areas. In these situations, different groups may fight for control of the areas containing the diamonds (so the diamonds can motivate or aggravate the conflict). At the same time, some of the proceeds from the diamonds in these areas often are used to purchase arms, prolonging the conflict. To curb the violence fueled by these “conflict” diamonds, the United Nations is working with States and the legitimate diamond industry developing a certification program.