About Our Company

Providing global leadership in third-party environmental, sustainability, food safety and quality certification, auditing, and standards development since 1984.

 

 

Since 1984, SCS has been a pioneer and leader in the field of sustainability standards and third-party certification, working across the economy in the natural resources, built environment, food and agriculture, consumer products and climate sectors. Partnering with companies, government agencies, NGOs, and stakeholders, we are striving to advance sustainable development goals through independent assessment, the application of sound science, and innovative solutions. Through these services, we are enabling decision-makers and purchasers to make informed decisions, giving innovators a competitive edge, and helping to drive the development of leadership standards to create a framework for continuous improvement.

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Vision & Mission

Our Vision
A sustainable future that safeguards our environment and our climate, respects the dignity and supports the health and wellbeing of workers and communities, and raises the standard of living for all.
 

Our Mission
To achieve this vision, we have established programs and services designed to recognize the outstanding achievements of companies, institutions, and organizations who are meeting the highest levels of performance in environmental protection, social/ethical responsibility, product safety and quality, while stimulating continuous improvement on the path toward sustainability. In this undertaking, we employ a life-cycle framework, state-of-the-art science, proven analytical methods, performance metrics and professional expertise.
 

Our Commitment
To deliver world-class professional service, uphold our integrity as a neutral third-party, and continually improve our programs and services in order to have the greatest possible positive impact.

Our Contributions

Together with our clients and partners, we are actively impacting the world around us:

  • Advancing sustainable agriculture
  • Securing supply chain integrity
  • Assuring food safety and quality from farm to fork
  • Promoting indoor air quality for building products, furnishings and finishes
  • Encouraging resource conservation and recycling
  • Protecting fragile ecosystems on land and in the ocean
  • Reducing company carbon footprints
  • Supporting informed decision-making
  • Stimulating innovation

Our Role As A Neutral Third Party

Third-party audits, test results, and certifications provide the independent perspective needed to help our clients evaluate their own performance, identify improvement opportunities, determine the best steps forward, and reassure customers and stakeholders.

We vigorously uphold our third-party status through the following steps:

 

four assets

 

Our History

Since we were founded in 1984, sustainability has become a key business driver around the globe. Here are some of the exciting milestones in our history.

Pesticide Residue Free
1984

Pesticide Residue Free certification program

Established world’s first Pesticide Residue Free certification program for fresh produce, with first voluntary full disclosures from growers.
Pesticide residue and nutrition testing
1985

Pesticide residue and nutrition testing

Established first pesticide residue and nutrition testing QA program for supermarket fresh produce departments.
HACCP Food Safety Training
1987

HACCP Food Safety Training

Launched first U.S. HACCP food safety training and audit programs for food producers, processors, handlers and retailers.
Environmental Claims Validation
1989

Environmental Claims Validation

Launched first third-party U.S. certification program for environmental claims, and initiated sustainability services for retailers.
Life Cycle Assessment
1990

Life Cycle Assessment

Participated in writing the international ISO 14000 standards for environmental labeling and life cycle assessment.
Responsbily Managed Forest Wood Product
1991

Responsibly Managed Forest Wood Product

Conducted first international independent certification of a wood product made from wood from a responsibly managed forest.
Environmental Report Card
1994

Environmental Report Card

Established world’s first Life Cycle Assessment based Type III Environmental Product Declaration label: Environmental Report Card.
Forest Stewardship Council
1994

Forest Stewardship Council

Participated in the establishment of international Forest Stewardship Council® standard, and accredited as one of first certifiers.
Marine Stewardship Council
1997

Marine Stewardship Council

Participated in the establishment of international Marine Stewardship Council® standard, and accredited as one of first certifiers.
SCS Mexico
1997

SCS Mexico

Established SCS Mexico subsidiary as first of many international ventures to expand service offerings in countries around the world.
USDA Organic Certification
2000

USDA Organic Certification

Accredited as one of the first organic certifiers under USDA National Organic Program.
Flavor and Nutrition Management
2002

Flavor and Nutrition Management

Launched flavor and nutrition management services to help growers, seed companies and food retailers optimize these features.
Starbucks C.A.F.E. Practices
2003

Starbucks C.A.F.E. Practices

Worked with Starbucks to establish C.A.F.E. Practices program for its international coffee supply chain.
Sustainable Agriculture Certifications
2004

Sustainable Agriculture Certifications

Launched sustainable agriculture certification, first for cut flowers and ornamental plants, then for fresh produce.
Sustainable Agriculture Standard
2007

U.S. National Sustainable Agriculture Standard

Initiated U.S. National Sustainable Agriculture Standard under ANSI open, multi-stakeholder consensus standard development process.
Greehouse Gas
2008

Greehouse Gas Inventory and Carbon Offset Verification

Launched greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory and carbon offset validation and verification services.
Fair Trade USA
2011

Fair Trade USA

Supported development of Fair Trade USA standard, and became the first accredited certifier.
SCS Global Services Rebrand
2012

SCS Global Services Rebrand

Became SCS Global Services, represented by the SCS Kingfisher certification logo.
Responsible Jewellery Council
2014

Responsible Jewellery Council®

Accredited as auditor to the Responsible Jewellery Council® Code of Practices and Chain of Custody standards.
Sustainably Grown
2014

Global expansion of Sustainably Grown

Expanded its Sustainably Grown® program internationally with certification of bananas and pineapples.
Environmental Product Declarations
2014

Environmental Product Declarations

Accredited by ANSI as an Eligible EPD Program Operator and Independent EPD Verifier.
Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials
2014

Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials

First certification body fully accredited by the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials.
UTZ Auditing
2014

UTZ Auditing

Approved to conduct UTZ Code of Conduct and Chain of Custody audits for coffee, cocoa, and tea.
RMAP Certification
2014

RMAP Certification

Accredited certifier under the Responsible Minerals Assurance Process.
Paper Products LCA
2014

Paper Products LCA

Published most comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment study ever conducted for paper products.
Equitable Food Initiative
2014

Equitable Food Initiative

Supported development of EFI standard, and became the first accredited certifier.
Food Safety Certifications
2016

Food Safety Certifications

Approved certifier for Primus GFS GAP, GMP, FMS, HACCP scopes.
ILFI Living
2016

ILFI Living and Declare.™

Approved certifier for ILFI Living Product Challenge and Declare.™
GSCP Equivalence Process
2016

GSCP Equivalence Process

Sustainably Grown® completes GSCP Equivalence Process.
Non-GMO Project Verification
2016

Non-GMO Project Verification

Approved as Non-GMO Project Verification Standard Technical Administrator.
Responsible Palm Oil Standard
2017

Responsible Palm Oil Standard

Named first North American certifier under Responsible Palm Oil Standard.
Sustainability Leadership Award Winner
2017

Sustainability Leadership Award Winner

Sustainability Leadership Award Winner: Business Intelligence Group.
Formaldehyde Rule
2017

Formaldehyde Rule

Recognized by EPA as a Third-Party Certifier for Formaldehyde Rule.
Gluten-Free Certification
2018

Gluten-Free Certification

Initiated Gluten-Free Certification Organization services.
ISO 22000 Certification
2018

ISO 22000 Certification

Accredited as a certifier under ISO 22000:2005 international standard for food safety management.
asthma & allergy friendly logo
2018

asthma & allergy friendly® certification.

Approved by Allergy Standards Limited to offer asthma & allergy friendly® certification.
SFI
2019

Sustainable Forestry Initiative Certifcation

Accredited to certify SFI fiber sources and chain of custody.
Composite Wood
2019

Composite Wood Products

Accredited to assess composite wood products under EPA TSCA Title VI.
IRMA logo
2019

The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance

Approved certifier for IRMA Responsible Mining Standard.
COVID19
2020

Covid-19 Pandemic

Developed on-site and remote virtual audit protocols to meet client needs during the pandemic.
LCFS
2020

LCFS Verification

Approved by CARB as verifier for the Low Carbon Fuel Standard.
SMETA Certification
2020

SMETA Social Compliance Auditing

Sedex-approved for SMETA social compliance audits.
LBMA logo
2021

LBMA and LPPM Responsible Sourcing

Approved as a global provider of LBMA and LPPM Responsible Sourcing certifications for precious metals.
SCS 007 Diamond Standard Logo
2021

SCS 007 Diamond Standard

Introduced the ground-breaking Certification Standard for Sustainability Rated Diamonds, providing a uniform basis for confirming the origin of diamonds and certifying their production.
Zero waste logo over a conveyor of trash
2021

Zero Waste Standard

Introduced a new Zero Waste standard for facilities, enabling companies to demonstrate the degree to which their waste streams are prevented, reused, or diverted from the landfill.
Climate pledge friendly logo over a scenic background with mountains and grass
2021

Carbon Neutral and Climate Pledge Friendly

SCS' Carbon Neutral Certification Program for products accepted into Amazon's Climate Pledge Friendly program.
Carbon Neutral logo over a scenic background of grass and sky
2022

Expanded Carbon Neutral Standard

Launched the expanded Certification Standard for Carbon Neutral Entities, Buildings, Products and Services launched, built around comprehensive life cycle assessment.
WAVE Water Stewardship Verified Logo overlaid on a picture of the ocean
2022

WAVE Water Stewardship

Partnered with The Water Council to launch WAVE Water Stewardship Verification, with SCS as the sole program verifier.
REPLENISH Verified logo
2022

REPLENISH™ Verification

Introduced REPLENISH™ Verification for Water Stewardship Actions for companies that reduce water consumption, replenish water supplies and protect water quality.

A Benefit Corporation

Founded in 1984 as Ohlone Inc., we became Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) in 1988, a name which better communicated our efforts to apply rigorous science to the task of third-party certification of claims, paying attention to holistic, system-wide ramifications. In 2012, we became SCS Global Services, communicating our international reach, and reorganized as one of California’s first Benefit Corporations, a class of corporation that has a corporate purpose to create a material positive impact on society and the environment.