PR98039

ST. LOUIS, Sept. 27, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

Move by USSEC Supports Customers' Efforts to Verify Sustainable Soy

International customers of U.S. Soy throughout the supply chain are now able to

better demonstrate their commitment to sourcing sustainable ingredients. The

U.S. Soy Sustainability Assurance Protocol (

https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3659351-1&h=3236653529&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usses.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2022%2F08%2FSSAP3.2_AMS-Approved-6.8.22.pdf&a=U.S.+Soy+Sustainability+Assurance+Protocol

) (SSAP) has been expanded to allow the transfer of SSAP certificates up to

four times.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1907832/USSEC_USSOY_Logo.jpg  

U.S. Soy customers have long sought more transparency in the sustainability of

their purchases. This change to the SSAP by Soy Export Sustainability, LLC (

https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3659351-1&h=2359660312&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usses.org%2F&a=Soy+Export+Sustainability%2C+LLC

), which is partially funded by the national soybean checkoff, allows customers

to keep records of their sustainable U.S. Soy purchases, use these purchases to

meet their ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) goals, and report on

their progress toward those goals. Importers will be able to receive a

certificate in their name from an exporter, the importer will then be able to

transfer certificates to their customers. The certificate has the potential to

be transferred a total of four times after export.

"Ensuring sustainable sourcing of products is central to our commitment to

responsible supply chains. We are glad to see continuous improvement of the

SSAP certifications, as well as the transparent and credible methodologies in

place for measuring sustainable performance. Transferable certificates are key

to our customers and our business to track and verify that the soy products we

source are raised in a sustainable manner, leading to greater sustainability of

the global food system," said Dessislava Barzachka, EA Sustainability Execution

Manager, Bunge.

The SSAP, which was developed in 2013, is a verified aggregate approach,

audited by third parties, that verifies sustainable soybean production on a

national scale. The system is designed to maintain mass balance of verified

sustainable soy at each transfer and industry processing calculations are also

incorporated into the system. The organization issuing and tracking the

certificates is Soy Export Sustainability, LLC.

While this change meets the buyers' needs for demonstrating their commitment to

sourcing sustainable soy in the short-term, in the long-term the change could

also help generate demand for their products because of consumer preferences

for sustainable products.

Under the SSAP guidelines, U.S. soybean farmers continuously improve their

sustainability performance, ensuring an even more sustainable product in the

future. U.S. Soy is already recognized as having the lowest carbon footprint

versus soy of other origins. In addition, the SSAP includes farm audits

conducted by an independent third party – the U.S. Department of Agriculture

(USDA). SSAP recently earned Silver Level Equivalence when benchmarked with the

Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform (SAI Platform)'s Farm

Sustainability Assessment (FSA) 3.0. It is also positively benchmarked with the

soy sourcing guidelines of the European Feed Manufacturers Federation (FEFAC)

through the independent International Trade Centre (ITC) and is recognized by

the Consumer Goods Forum's Sustainable Soy Sourcing Guidelines and the Global

Seafood Alliance's Best Aquaculture Practices.

"U.S. soybean farmers have a strong commitment to sustainability, so we are

always exploring how we can support their efforts to verify the sustainability

of their products. The SSAP does that, but now with transferable certificates,

it allows for that verification to be passed along to their other customers,"

said Abby Rinne, Director of Sustainability, U.S. Soybean Export Council

(USSEC). USSEC is a founding member of Soy Export Sustainability, LLC focused

on differentiating, elevating preference, and attaining market access for U.S.

Soy.

About U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC)

The U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) focuses on differentiating, elevating

preference, and attaining market access for the use of U.S. Soy for human

consumption, aquaculture, and livestock feed in 80+ countries internationally.

USSEC members represent the soy supply chain including U.S. Soy farmers,

processors, commodity shippers, merchandisers, allied agribusinesses, and

agricultural organizations. USSEC is funded by the U.S. soybean checkoff, USDA

Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) matching funds, and industry.Visit

www.ussec.org ;for the latest information on U.S. Soy solutions (

https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3659351-1&h=519005555&u=https%3A%2F%2Fsolutions.ussoy.org%2F&a=U.S.+Soy+solutions

) and news about USSEC and U.S. Soy internationally.

This news release was partially funded by U.S. Soy farmers, their checkoff and

the soy value chain.

Media Contacts:

Chris Samuel        

Director of Global Communications         

U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC)         

+1.314.306.1273  I  CSamuel@ussec.org

Kerrey Kerr-Enskat        

Senior Manager, Communications        

U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC)        

+1.515.823.1848  I   kenskat@ussec.org

Bill Raack  

Director

Lambert

+1.314.602.0696  I  braack@lambert.com

Andy Likes

Sr. Director

Lambert

+1.314.606.1878  I  alikes@lambert.com

SOURCE U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC)