The Landscape of Regenerative Product Certifications

Certification:

Regenerative Organic Certified® (ROC)

Who issues It?

Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA), a non-profit founded by the Rodale Institute, Dr. Bronner’s, Patagonia, and others. 

What’s required?

ROC certification is practice-based. Operation/brand must:

• Hold USDA organic certification (or international equivalent) and then meet the requirements outlined in the ROC framework
• Not use pesticides
• Not use antibiotics or hormones for animal products
• Use biological versus chemical (synthetic) fertilizers

ROC has three levels (Gold, Silver, & Bronze) and consists of three pillars: 

• Soil Health & Land Management
• Animal Welfare
• Farmer & Worker Fairness

What does it cost?

Fee for verification, with costs based on size and scope of operation, geographic location, projected production value, and product claims. 

Brands

55+ brands are ROC licensed, including CatSpring Youpon, Sol Simple, Dr. Bronner’s, Groundwork, Patagonia Provisions, Alexandre Family Farm, Recoup, Lotus Foods, Pocono Organics, and Wild Orchard.

Certification:

Land to Market™ Verified Regenerative

Who Issues It?

Land To Market™, an organization created by the Savory Institute in 2018 to scale up the deployment of action-leadership around regenerative agriculture as rapidly as possible and on an international scale.

What’s required?

• Land to Market is entirely outcomes-based on environmental impact (including soil health, water, sequestered carbon, and biodiversity). It uses empirical data to back up regenerative claims.
• Outcomes are determined by the Savory Institute’s Ecological Outcome Verification™ (EOV™), a scientific protocol developed by Savory Institute in collaboration with Michigan State University, Texas A&M, Ovis 21, The Nature Conservancy, and others.

• Focuses on pastureland and livestock, engaging farmers, processors, suppliers, and brands across many sectors (meat, bones, organs, dairy, wool, cashmere, leather, crops with animal integration).

What does it cost?

Operations/brands must become a member and pay a fee for verification.

Brands

1,000+ verified products and 80+ member brands hold Land to Market certification, including Alec's Ice Cream, White Oak Pastures, Force of Nature, Epic Provisions, Serenity Kids, Applegate, White Oak Pastures, Alexandre Family Farms, Timberland, Eileen Fisher, Onda Wellness.

Certification:

Certified Regenerative by AGW

Who Issues It?

A Greener World, a non-profit promoting practical, sustainable solutions in agriculture by supporting farmers and educating consumers.

A Greener World offers a portfolio of farm certifications including Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW, Certified Grassfed by AGW, Certified Non-GMO by AGW, Certified Regenerative by AGW, and Certified Organic by AGW. 

What’s required?

• AGW is outcomes and practice-based
• Outcomes are measured through soil, water, and soil quality
• Required regenerative practice standards in biodiversity, energy efficiency, animal health and welfare, and health and safety provisions for workers.
• Allows for the responsible use of antibiotics to ensure animal health and welfare, but restricts the use of glyphosate and requires farmers to eliminate synthetic nitrogen fertilizers.
• Does not require USDA Organic certification. 
• AGW meets farmers where they are and partners with them on their regenerative journey, auditing in conjunction with the regenerative plan to show site-specific, measurable progress.

What does it cost?

Fee schedule includes review fees for Certified Regenerative of $350, plus a $100 non-refundable application fee.

Brands

The a2 Milk® Company, Zack’s Mighty Tortilla Chips, Kreher Family Farms, Black Tansy Farm, and others.

Certification:

Regenified™

Who Issues It?

Developed by regenerative agriculture thought-leaders and farmers Gabe Brown and Dr. Allen Williams who also founded Understanding Ag.

What’s required?

• Focused on pastureland, livestock and integrated grain operations, and expanding into fruits and specialty crops. 
• Regenified’s 6-3-4™ Verification Standard is based on six regenerative principles (soil armor, biodiversity, living roots, livestock integration, local context, disturbance); three rules (compounding, diversity, disruption), and four processes (water cycle, mineral cycle, energy flow, community dynamics). 

What does it cost?

Premium commodity pricing 

Brands

Launched in 2022, Regenified™ has certified a limited number of operations, including Nourished by Nature, Carman Ranch, Maker’s Mark's Star Hill Farm, and Union Grove Farm.

Certification:

Soil & Climate Health Initiative Verified™

Who Issues It?

Green America's Soil Carbon Alliance (SCI)

SCI was designed in collaboration with a diverse group of stakeholders including The Carbon Underground, Ben & Jerry’s, Danone, MegaFood, and Green America’s Soil & Climate Alliance. It is part of the Center for Sustainability Solutions at Green America, a 501(c)(3) based in Washington, D.C. 

What’s required? 

• SCI is the first independently-verified, outcomes-based program for regenerative agriculture that’s open to any farmer and food company, regardless of where they are on their regenerative journey.
• The program relies on a science-based combination of in-field and in-lab tests to measure and verify outcomes, including soil health and soil carbon, biodiversity, water, and progress towards elimination of chemical inputs (SCI Grower Standard).
• The program provides technical support and incentives to farmers and companies in the agriculture supply chain to transition to regenerative management.

What does it cost?

Farmer transition to regenerative practices is supported by the SCI Farm Transition Fund, which is funded by companies making SCI commitments.

Brands

Nearly 50 farmers across 18 states have enrolled over 24,000 acres. Participating brands / companies include Danone, Ben & Jerry’s, Megafoods, Quinn, Banza, and others.

Certification:

Ethos Regenerative Outcome Verification™

Who Issues It?

Ethos was created by Terra Genesis International - an international regenerative design firm.

What’s required? 

• Ethos is an outcomes-based verification for brands sourcing and farmers producing.
• Designed specifically to support smallholders where other programs would be prohibitively expensive.
• Data-driven platform monitors and reports on ecological, social, and climate outcomes of a regenerative approach.
• Ethos is intentionally NOT a certification. Thus, Ethos does not prescribe any specific practices to be used. Rather, Ethos embeds trust and transparency into sourcing relationships via data insights.

What does it cost?

Supports data sovereignty via direct payment for data to the farmers, thus eliminating the common process of mark-ups via middlemen. Consequently, the verified product is not sold at a premium, but rather the data associated with the verification is sold as a separate product for brands’ use in impact monitoring and claims generation.  

Brands

Piloted since 2020 and announced to the public in 2023, Ethos will not be available to a wider audience until 2024. Partner brands for pilot projects include The North Face, Timberland, and Vans. Verified projects include Haitian cotton, Thai rubber, and Ecuadorian cacao.