Following the WBF Meetings on Global Value Chain Sustainability held at Fruit Attraction 2023, a broad consensus was reached among WBF members on the need to continue discussions on certification and audits in the banana industry. To this end, the WBF Secretariat established the Commission on Certifications to address critical challenges, including over-certification, overlapping standards, certification costs and administrative burden, as well as compliance difficulties faced by producers.

With the rise of due diligence laws, such as the European Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the Commission on Certifications is actively exploring how these mandatory norms could drive mutual recognition and streamline certification processes in the banana sector.

The objective 

This Commission aims to build industry-wide consensus on reducing standard overlaps across schemes, promoting harmonization and mutual recognition, lowering audit frequency and costs while enhancing quality, easing compliance with stricter requirements, and fostering shared responsibility throughout the banana value chain.

Timeline

Since its creation in 2023, the Commission has been actively engaged in fruit fairs, global conferences, and virtual meetings. These platforms have allowed value chain actors to voice concerns and collectively define pathways for improvement.