Code of Conduct
Producers who are UTZ CERTIFIED comply with the UTZ CERTIFIED Code of Conduct. This is a set of economic, social and environmental criteria for responsible production.
The UTZ CERTIFIED Code of Conduct includes elements such as standards for recordkeeping, minimized and documented use of agrochemicals for crop protection, protection of labor rights and access to health care and education for employees and their families.
Producers are UTZ CERTIFIED when an independent certifier approved by UTZ CERTIFIED determines that the producer is in compliance with the requirements of the UTZ CERTIFIED Code of Conduct. This inspection is repeated annually.
Summary of the Code
The criteria of the UTZ CERTIFIED Code of Conduct fall into three categories:
Good Agricultural & business practices
- monitoring business processes
- record keeping of fertilizers & agro chemicals
- good housekeeping practices
- workers trained properly
- implementation of accident and emergency procedures
- implementation of hygiene rules and practices
- traceability of coffee
- annual internal inspections
Social criteria
- workers are protected by national laws and ILO conventions regarding wage, working hours,
- safe and healthy working conditions
- no forced labor or child labor
- freedom of association and collective bargaining
- workers receive training in their own language about safe handling of chemicals
- workers receive protective clothing for the use of chemicals
- respectful treatment of workers
- access to health care for the workers and their families
- access to education for children
- access to decent housing
- access to clean drinking water
- freedom of cultural expression
Environmental criteria
- reduce and prevent soil erosion
- responsible and minimal use of agrochemicals
- implementation of Integrated Pest Management
- minimize water usage and environmental pollution
- minimize energy use
- optimize use of sustainable energy sources
- treatment of contaminated water
- protecting water sources
- no deforestation of primary forests
- use of native tree species as coffee shade trees
- protecting endangered species
Code development procedure for a UTZ CERTIFIED product code
As per January 2010 the UTZ CERTIFIED 'Code Development Procedure' complies with the ISEAL Alliance Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standards. The UTZ CERTIFIED Code development procedure at hand sets the requirements for the development of new UTZ CERTIFIED Codes of Conduct as well as the reviews and revisions of existing UTZ CERTIFIED Codes of Conduct. The UTZ CERTIFIED Board approved this version of the Code Development
Procedure during their meeting on October 2nd, 2009 .
For more information about the 'Code Development Procedure' and 'Governance overview' please visit our download area.