The second Expert Meeting on Socially and Environmentally Responsible Banana Production and Trade was held in San José, 10-11 December 2001. The first day of the meeting was dedicated to the Working Group on Socially and Environmentally Responsible Horticulture Production and Trade. Recent developments in the standard setting and certification initiatives active in the banana sector were presented. The participants agreed on a plan of activities for the Working Group. On the second day various representatives of the Costa Rican Ministry of Agriculture, banana producers and the Consumers Union presented their experiences with the various certification initiatives. In the afternoon discussions were held in two groups.

The debate on social standards concentrated on the quality of auditing, the involvement of stakeholders in the certification process, local specificity and flexibility and the relation with local governments and international trade negotiations. The group agreed that the main accomplishment of social standards and certification so far has been to bring the issues into the open.

The debate on environmental standards concentrated on the multiplication of certification initiatives and on ways of increasing the cost efficiency of certification. The group agreed that the actual impacts on the environment included a reduction of pollution and higher biodiversity around farms. Certification has increased environmental awareness and has promoted a cultural change in companies, farmers and their communities.