Research and Review into Certification Systems
Increasingly, sustainability is driven by consumer-processes, these market-based approaches enable consumer choice in seafood purchasing and motivate changes in catching/culturing practices. Numerous certification schemes and recommendation lists exist and this can cause confusion amongst stakeholders concerning the effectiveness of schemes and amongst consumers about expectations for each scheme. MRAG has undertaken systematic industry-wide reviews of certification and recommendation systems, their development, and the standards associated with developing these certification schemes for a variety of clients. These assessments have covered pertinent issues including market-coverage for each scheme, cost/benefit analyses, effectiveness and have provided frameworks for continued research into these schemes.
Clients include certification bodies, international consortiums, suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, producers and fishing companies, governmental bodies and NGOs. In addition, MRAG has used its industry experience in developing standards for certification schemes and tools to assist in their implementation such as IT programmes.
