Provenance and Soil Association Certification combine to empower conscious consumers

Click here for your free ticket to Provenance & The Soil Association's September 13th event – The Future of Consumer Confidence: Certifications that Matter

London, August 2023 — Today, Provenance and Soil Association Certification announce a strategic partnership to enable shoppers to make more sustainable choices with confidence. By bringing together Provenance’s expertise in fact-checked sustainability communications and the country's leading organic certifier respectively — the partnership marks a significant step towards a more transparent customer journey.

Provenance is a platform that validates and amplifies sustainability credentials for consumer packaged goods, whilst Soil Association Certification is an organic certification body that is wholly owned by the Soil Association charity, known for its pivotal role in developing organic standards and its campaigns for sustainable food and farming.

The partnership is a response to the ever-growing demand for transparent and trustworthy sustainability information. Provenance research found that nearly half (41%) of today’s shoppers consider independently verified sustainability information to be ‘very trustworthy’, and look to the likes of the Soil Association Certification to guide purchasing decisions shaped by facts, not greenwash.

In addition to improving consumer confidence, Provenance and Soil Association Certification’s partnership will help educate businesses on sustainability marketing best practices through a combination of in-person and online events. The first event occurs during Organic Beauty & Wellbeing Week, which is the Soil Association Certification’s annual campaign to raise consumer awareness of what “Certified Organic” beauty and wellbeing means in an industry where products can be labelled as “Organic” with as little as 1% organic ingredients. This will be closely followed by a live webinar discussing how businesses should approach natural and organic claims and certifications, as the Competition and Markets authority has made promises to crack down on misleading claims. 

Jessi Baker, CEO of Provenance, said: “We’re on a mission to make sustainability claims more accessible and transparent, empowering shoppers to make informed and impactful decisions. By working together with Soil Association Certification, we aim to empower consumers with accurate information about the environmental and social impact of the products they purchase, fostering a more sustainable future."

Alex Cullen, Commercial and Marketing Director at Soil Association Certification said: "We are delighted to partner with Provenance in our common mission to transform consumer choices and support sustainable practices. Together, we can promote ethical shopping habits and foster greater respect for the natural world."

Provenance's platform enables businesses to validate and amplify sustainability claims throughout their customer journey, reducing the risk of greenwashing and enhancing brand value. With a presence in over 16 markets worldwide and partnering with more than 200 brands, Provenance has become a leader in facilitating conscious consumer choices.

Businesses working with Provenance can make 125+ social and environmental claims (known as Proof Points) via the Provenance Framework, an open-source rulebook for communicating impact. As a result of the partnership, two of the available Proof Points are backed by Soil Association Certification: COSMOS Natural, and COSMOS Organic. To achieve these Proof Points, businesses must meet high standards to ensure the product is genuinely organic or natural. This includes a commitment to environmental and wildlife protection, animal welfare, biodiversity, soil health, and human health.

Sarah Brown, founder of Pai Skincare, a well-known beauty brand, uses the combined power of Provenance and Soil Association Certification to “help shoppers trust that ingredients have been grown and processed in a way that is better for the planet” as demonstrated by their Vitamin C Booster’s Proof Points.

Click here for your free ticket to Provenance & The Soil Association's September 13th event – The Future of Consumer Confidence: Certifications that Matter