RIO DE JANEIRO—June 15, 2012—The Committee on Sustainability Assessment (COSA) is for the first time releasing global data documenting the sustainability of certified farms around the world at Rio+20.

The COSA data is a key stepping stone to a more strategic development and use of sustainability standards and certifications in agriculture across the developing world.

The dataset, which has been collected over the past four years, includes surveys of more than 5,000 farms from eight countries. The data represents the most extensive global effort to enable comparative analysis of the impacts of standards across multiple initiatives, countries and sectors.

The ENTWINED Consortium will the release of COSA data during two side events at the Rio +20 conference, with leading experts in sustainability looking at the implications of the findings of the report and how these can be used in practice at the farm level, in supply chain management, in projects or for policy-making.

The events are being organized by COSA co-founder, the International Institute for Sustainable Development and Équiterre, in partnership with the Swiss Government, the Québec Government and COSA.

Global Compact Forum on Sustainability: If sustainability was a business, how would it be run? Making sustainability Standards work for those most in need

Saturday, June 16, 2012 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Windsor Barra Hotel & Congresses (pre-registration required)

Certified Green: The Role and impacts of certification in the green economy

Sunday, June 17, 2012, from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m.
RioCentro Room T-8

Speakers at the June 16 event:

• Mark Halle, director International Institute for Sustainable Development, ENTWINED Consortium
• Daniele Giovannucci, CEO, Committee on Sustainability Assessment (COSA)
• Hans-Peter Egler, head trade promotion, Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO
• Pablo Farias, VP Ford Foundation
• Robério Oliveira Silva, ICO, executive director
• Andrew Hobday, chief sustainability officer Mars Inc.
• Helio Mattar, president Instituto Akatu
• Rob Skidmore, chief of sector competitiveness at UN–WTO International Trade Centre
• Jason Potts, founder, Finance Alliance for Sustainable Trade and IISD associate and Smart program manager

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Please contact public affairs manager Nona Pelletier for more information: +1 204 958 7740 or +1 204 962 1303.