Governance
The most important governance bodies within the GGL Foundation are the Executive Board, the Advisory Board and the Technical Committee.
The following governance structure has been developed taking the Green Gold Label Foundation's vision into account, with support of NewForesight, a strategic consultancy in sustainable market transformation. The implementation of the new structure is well underway and planned to be complete by mid-2012.
MSI - Multi-stakeholder Initiatives
Members
The member base is multi-stakeholder. Standard setters, primary producers, traders, end users and NGO’s are all welcome to join the initiative. An annual subscription fee is charged based on the membership type. Furthermore, a fee is applicable based on the quantity of traded sustainable biomass.
Executive Board
The Executive Board is responsible for strategic decision making and is ultimately responsible for the initiative. New board members are elected by existing members based on experience, knowledge and impartiality. The Chairman of the Executive Board is independent. This is assessed by using clear criteria for independence. The following stakeholders should ideally be represented in the Executive Board:
- Primary producers
- Traders
- End users
- NGOs
Advisory Board
The Advisory Board advises the Executive Board in its strategic decision-making process. This includes the structure and targets, the practical implementation as well as the applicability of the Green Gold Label Programme. The Chairman of the Advisory Board is independent. All stakeholders in Green Gold Label should be evenly represented in the Advisory Board. As a rule, the Executive Board will follow the advice of the Advisory Board, unless there are substantial interests not to do so.
Technical Committee
The Technical Committee has a specific responsibility; they are responsible for ‘control’ approvals. Members of this Committee must have concrete technical expertise. The Committee is made up of multi-stakeholders including standard setters, primary producers, traders, end users and NGOs. Its members are chosen by the members of Green Gold Label.
Working Groups
Green Gold Label creates various Working Groups where specific topics are addressed, for example the development of the Green Gold Label standards, accreditation procedures, communication, engagement with governments etc. The Working Groups are multi- stakeholder governing bodies.
Secretariat
The Secretariat is responsible for the daily management of Green Gold Label. The (impartial) Secretariat owns the normative documents and is responsible for procedure and criteria management.
Mediation Board
The Mediation Board is an important part of the governance structure; it is responsible for the de-escalation of conflicts, internally as well as externally. Also in this board, various stakeholders should participate.
Independent certification bodies
Independent certification Bodies are responsible for audits and ‘area control’. They are approved by the Green Gold Label Foundation on the basis of criteria listed in the certification requirements.
