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Grievances Procedure


With the exception of complaints and grievances related to audit processes, issuance/suspension/withdrawal of RTRS certificates and accreditation of Certification Bodies, any complaint or grievance shall be sent to the RTRS Secretariat by email at [email protected].
Any complaint or grievances related to audit processes and issuance/suspension/withdrawal of RTRS certificates shall be sent to the certification body (CB) in charge of the process, which the complaint/grievance relates to.
Any complaint related to the accreditation of certification bodies shall be sent to the accreditation body (AB), or if no accreditation body is designated, to the RTRS Secretariat. For the complaint/grievance to be considered valid, the complainant shall provide all of the following information:
i. Identity and legal details of the complainant and contact details.
ii. The organisation targeted by the complaint/grievance, e.g. RTRS Secretariat, RTRS Member, certified operator, third party, etc.
iii. The nature of grievance and which RTRS standards, procedures or documents it is based on.
iv. Supporting evidence, including all possible documentation, etc. to directly support the complaint.
v. Details of previous steps that were undertaken to seek resolution directly, prior to turning to this procedure, if any.
vi. Clear, concise and specific actions, proposed activities or steps that are needed to correct problems rose in complaint.


1. Upon reception, the RTRS Secretariat/CB/AB shall verify the completeness of the complaint/grievance and if the case, trigger a complaint/grievance resolution process. Whether the complaint/grievance is accepted or rejected, RTRS Secretariat/CB/AB shall inform the applicant within two weeks following the submission of the complaint/grievance, along with explanations regarding the timeline and next steps in case of acceptance.
2. Upon validation, the RTRS Secretariat/CB/AB shall examine the submitted complaint/grievance and associated documentation to assess its validity and suggest options for settlement.


1. To the extent possible, any settlement shall be in line with existing RTRS rules, standards and procedures, while addressing the issues raised in the complaint/grievance. Any decision regarding settlement shall be validated by either the RTRS Executive Director, or the Head of the CB, or the Head of the AB, depending on the case.
2. The settlement decision shall be communicated to the applicant, along with the detailed justification for the decision, within two months following the submission of the complaint/grievance. The applicant may file an appeal within two weeks following the communication of the decision.
3. Whenever no settlement could be found at the RTRS Secretariat/CB/AB level or, if the applicant files an appeal regarding the initial settlement decision, the complaint/grievance shall be escalated to the Grievance Committee (GC). Details about the GC are available in Annex.
4. The GC shall examine the complaint/grievance and decide on a settlement within two weeks following the reception of the escalated complaint/grievance. To the extent possible, any settlement shall be in line with existing RTRS rules, standards and procedures, while addressing the issues raised in the complaint/grievance.
5. Whenever a settlement decision is taken by the GC, it shall be communicated to the applicant, along with the detailed justification for the decision, within three months following the submission of the complaint/grievance. The applicant may file an appeal within two weeks following the communication of the decision.
6. Whenever no settlement could be found at the GC level or, if the applicant files an appeal regarding the GC settlement decision, the complaint/grievance shall be escalated further to the Executive Board (EB).
7. The EB shall examine the complaint/grievance and decide on a settlement within two weeks following the reception of the escalated complaint/grievance. To the extent possible, any settlement shall be in line with existing RTRS rules, standards and procedures, while addressing the issues raised in the complaint/grievance.
8. The settlement decision taken by the EB shall be communicated to the applicant, along with the detailed justification for the decision, within four months following the submission of the complaint/grievance. The applicant cannot file an appeal.


In line with Directive (EU) 2019/1937:
1. Any internal or external party filing a grievance in relation to the implementation of the RTRS EU RED certification program by economic operators, certification bodies, auditors, RTRS members or staff, is entitled to require full confidentiality and data protection by notifying the CB, AB or RTRS upon filing the grievance.
2. For internal or external parties requiring full confidentiality and data protection (e.g. whistleblowers), the CB, AB or RTRS receiving the grievance shall ensure that all data allowing the identification of the applicant (e.g. name, address, location, etc.) are stored in a protected space with access restricted to authorized personal only. Upon escalating the grievance, the authorized personnel shall not transmit any data allowing the identification of the applicant. The rest of the complaint/grievance resolution process remain unchanged.
3. To the extent possible, grievances filed by whistleblowers shall be treated in priority and more quickly than regular grievances.

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