The Europe Soya Standard will in future combine the Donau Soja and Europe Soya Standards into a single set of rules. It is based on the following fundamental principles: non-GM, European origin, deforestation-free, sustainable production and independent third-party certification. An external legal assessment confirms that our standards are compliant with the Empowering Consumers directive. Companies that use the label are therefore automatically operating in accordance with the directive.
This is demonstrated in the following ways:
Independent third-party certification
Our standards are based on an independent verification system – they are audited and issued by accredited, independent certification bodies (not by Donau Soja itself).
Transparent, publicly accessible criteria
The standards and their criteria are publicly accessible and can be downloaded from our website: www.donausoja.org/downloads/
Regular review and updating
Compliance with requirements is verified by independent certification bodies accredited in accordance with ISO/IEC 17065 – independent of both the scheme owner and the certified operator.
Scientific basis
CO₂ data are provided on the basis of PEF and ISO standards – available as branded data in recognised databases. PCF studies by BOKU University Vienna (ISO 14067, FAO-LEAP) and FiBL Austria document the environmental impacts of certified soya; life cycle assessments (LCA) feed into standard development.
Traceability along the supply chain
The DS/ES Standard covers the entire supply chain – from the growing area through processing and trade to the end product. Non-GM status, origin, and deforestation-free status are traceable at every stage.
Clear consequences
What happens in the event of violations is clearly regulated in our standards, e.g. withdrawal or suspension of label usage.
Openness
Our certification system is open to all business operators who are willing and able to meet the requirements.
Stakeholder involvement
We develop requirements jointly with experts and stakeholders from practice.
Detailed information on the relevance of this to Donau Soja, our partners and members, as well as tips for EmpCo-compliant communication, can be found in our guidelines here.