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Revision process of the UEBT standard in 2020

Following good practice in standard-setting, we review the UEBT standard every five years. If the review determines a revision is needed, UEBT uses a participatory process including public consultations with a wide range of stakeholders, including companies, affected local and indigenous communities, NGOs, governments and academia.

For the current standard published in July 2020 (version 5.0) we held two public consultations. The first consultation ended in late 2018 and received more than 200 comments from 80+ organisations. The second consultation ended in August 2019 and more than 130 people commented during this period, representing approximately 60 organisations.

Stakeholder participation

UEBT offered many ways for people to participate in our standards revision process. During our 2018-2019 consultation, for example, we used the following methods:

  • Direct emails to stakeholders

  • Calls for comments via LinkedIn and our Web site’s home page

  • A UEBT email address for comments

  • An online comment form

  • Consultation workshops held in The Netherlands, Madagascar, Brazil, Vietnam, Myanmar, South Africa and India.

Timeline of current standard (version 2020)

  • The UEBT Board approved the new standard on 13 July 2020, following the recommendation of the standards and assurance committee at UEBT. It was published on 15 July 2020.

  • There was a 12-month transition process to the new standard for UEBT members.

  • The UEBT and Rainforest Alliance Herbs & Spices program checklists were publised in early 2021, and there was a 12 -month transition period process.

Next revision is in 2025

Per international best practice, reviews of the UEBT standard take place every five years. 

The review of the UEBT standard took place in 2024 and a limited revision will be carried out in 2025.

View the process of the 2025 revision and how you can participate —> here

Governance of the standard revision process?

UEBT welcomes comments on the standard at any time. Comments will be incorporated into the next review process. Please submit comments to comments@uebt.org.

A wide range of stakeholders – companies, communities, civil society – contributed to the development of the UEBT Ethical BioTrade Standard. In July 2020 the new standard (version 5.0) was published.