The demand for sustainable dairy products is growing. To this end, all kinds of certification standards are being developed. But how well do these score in terms of credibility, accessibility and, above all, continuous improvement? Wageningen UR and Ireland's Teagasc examined nineteen international standards with a total of one hundred and sixteen standards. Caring Dairy from Ben & Jerry' s and CONO takes a proud third place on both continuous improvement and overall performance.

The comparison of the general characteristics of the nineteen standards revealed wide variation. For example, with respect to the developer or implementer of the standard. Or the number of indicators included. And the sustainability topics they cover.

Review on devil's triangle

The sustainability programs were content-tested in terms of how they themselves underpin credibility, accessibility and continuous improvement. These three aspects form what is known as a "devil's triangle," as choosing two basically comes at the expense of the third. It is therefore important to balance them in the best possible way. Analysis has shown that credibility and accessibility are often transparently described and guaranteed in standard documents. In contrast, continuous improvement is rarely focused on by the certification systems.

Three positive exceptions

There are three positive exceptions to this: the British LEAF Marque, the American Food Alliance, and our own Caring Dairy sustainability program. Moreover, these three are not only at the forefront when it comes to continuous improvement, but also in overall performance when all aspects are added up. The objective survey confirms the high quality of Caring Dairy and contributes significantly to confidence in the program.

Source: McGarr-O'Brien, K., Herron, J., Shalloo, L., Boer, I.J.M. De, & Olde, E.M. De (2023). Characterizing sustainability certification standards in dairy production. Animal 17 (7).