Dear Our Partners:

At the 35th Board of Directors held on March 28, 2024, the proposal for revising the Chain of Custody (CoC ) Standard Management (CMS) Ver. 2.0 was approved. Based on the above, we would like to inform you of the overview as follows:

[Background]

Since it was established in 2018, the CoC standard has not been revised. The Operational Management Regulation (OMR) stipulates that the standards are to be reviewed once every five years. Following this, at the 10th CoC Standard Setting Committee (CSSC) meeting on February 6, 2024, the CSSC members recognized several issues to be considered.

[Target Standard]

MEL Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard Management (FMS) Version 2.0

[Points of Standard Revision (Excerpt)]

･ The concept and structure of the CoC standard will consider each business type’s circumstances.

･ Review internal control requirements and improve practicality, especially for retail businesses.

･ Improve the requirements for audits.

･ Incorporate compliance issues such as social responsibility, labor issues, and human rights, as well as food hygiene and food safety perspectives into requirements.

･ Renewal of compliance criteria (guidelines for auditors)

・Renewal of the assessment report and assessment check sheet

A working group will be formed under the Standards Setting Committee and the supervision of the Expert Committee. As the group will play a central role, we will develop a revised draft of the standard and prepare for it to come into effect after going through the prescribed procedures, including public consultations and general meeting approval. We will provide information on the progress of standard revisions, explanations to stakeholders and certified entities, etc., on our website as appropriate.

Thank you for your continued support of MEL’s activities.

Sincerely,

Secretariats at Marine Eco-Label Japan Council