ISEAL Membership Application Form & Checklist
for Standard-Setting Organisations
Version 2 – October 2015
Introduction
Joining the ISEAL membership is a very positive step towards strengthening your standards system. Becoming a
member of the ISEAL Alliance means that you are committing to improve your organisation’s practices and to
collaborate with others to increase the impact of your standard(s). You’re almost there and we’re excited to
receive your application!
All sections in this document must be completed to make a complete membership application. This includes
providing general information, signing ISEAL’s terms and agreement and completing a checklist to ensure that all
relevant supporting evidence is submitted. Evidence is required to demonstrate that your organisation meets
ISEAL’s eligibility requirements and code compliance requirements.
For further details on how to make an application, please read the ISEAL Membership Application Procedure for
Standard-Setting Organisations. You will also need to consult the ISEAL Member Requirements and ISEAL Code
Compliance Requirements for Standard-Setting Members for more information about members’ commitment to
implementing ISEAL’s Codes of Good Practice.
One electronic copy of this completed form and all supporting documentation should be submitted to the
Dropbox folder that has been made available to you. You must notify the ISEAL Secretariat that the submission is
complete by sending an email to membership@isealalliance.org.
Application Form
General Information and Program Scope
Name of Your Organisation:
Postal Address (Head Office):
Telephone (Include International Access):
Organisation Website:
Name of ISEAL Main Contact:
Position:
Main contact email:
Main contact Skype:
ISEAL Membership Application Form & Checklist for Standard-Setting Organisations Version 2 – October 2015
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Approximate number of FTEs* e.g. less than 5, 5-10,
11-20, 21-50, 50+ (include total for all offices, and
breakdown per office – insert additional rows as
necessary):
*Full-time equivalent staff
Office and location
Number of staff
e.g. Total offices
50+
e.g. Head office in
Shanghai
11-20
List of Activities that your organisation undertakes
(e.g. Standard-Setting, Certification, Accreditation):
List of Sectors in which your organisation is involved
(e.g. Forestry, Agriculture, Mining, Carbon Credits,
etc.):
Geographical scope of your program:
Turnover from most recent financial year:
Terms and Agreement
I/we hereby understand and agree to the following terms, which will come into effect upon our approval as an
Associate Member:
1. Our organisation agrees to be guided by the ISEAL Credibility Principles in our approach to creating and
maintaining a credible and robust standards system. Furthermore, we affirm that none of the activities
of our organisation or the activities of subsidiaries or parent companies may be construed as running
counter to the ISEAL Credibility Principles.
2. Our organisation commits to abide by the ISEAL Alliance Code of Ethics, particularly in our interactions
with ISEAL and with ISEAL members.
3. Our organisation will strive to meet the requirements for Full Member status within one year from the
date of approval as an Associate Member of the ISEAL Alliance, and to fully comply with the ISEAL Codes
within three years in accordance with the ISEAL Code Compliance Requirements for Standard-Setting
Members. This also includes a commitment to report annually regarding Code compliance.
4. Our organisation will only make claims about ISEAL Associate and Full Membership in accordance with
the ISEAL Member Claims Policy. We are entitled to state that we are an ISEAL Associate Member and can
make aspirational statements about seeking to be compliant with applicable ISEAL Codes, with language
approved by the ISEAL Secretariat prior to use. We are not entitled to use the ISEAL logo.
5. Our organisation will submit timely and complete responses (within 1 month) to reasonable requests for
information solicited by the ISEAL Secretariat, such as in the form of annual surveys that are aimed at
furthering ISEAL’s Strategic Plan.
6. Our organisation will make annual reports, operating procedures including decision-making structures,
and standards (including drafts), where applicable, publicly available at least through our organisation’s
website.
7. Our organisation will participate regularly in the ISEAL Community, to improve accessibility and
effectiveness of our program and of the voluntary standards movement, and to reduce overlaps and
duplications among programs. This could include participation in the online community, and delivery or
participation in webinars, workshops and conferences.
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8. Our organisation is willing and able to provide advice and support to other ISEAL members, as
appropriate, on challenges that they face.
9. We shall appoint an ‘ISEAL Main Contact’ who will inform our staff of developments within ISEAL. Where
requested, the ISEAL Main Contact shall consult actively with our staff on issues and report back the
results of these consultations.
10. Our organisation will report on annual turnover in a timely manner and make timely payment of annual
member fees.
11. Our organisation will notify ISEAL of any criminal or civil proceedings made against us or any other
significant change in activities or circumstance that could affect the credibility of us as a member or of
the ISEAL membership as a whole.
I further confirm that the information provided in and with this Form is accurate and truthful.
Signed:
On Behalf of (Name of Individual or Organisation):
Date:
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Checklist
Demonstrating your organisation meets ISEAL’s Eligibility Requirements
Requirement
Suggested evidence
Location of evidence
Please confirm location
of evidence (clearly
listing the name and
number of your files as
provided in the
Dropbox)
Submitted
via Dropbox?
☒
e.g. Be a registered legal entity
Proof that your
organisation is registered
as a legal entity
1. Be registered as a legal entity.
Proof that your
organisation is registered
as a legal entity.
☐
2. Have, or accredit to, at least one
operational practice and/or
performance-based standard that:
Your mission statement,
vision or equivalent
guiding document.
☐
Certification of
registration
a. Was set using a multistakeholder approach;
b. Focuses on social and/or
environmental issues;
c.
Applies at the
international, regional,
national or sub-national
level;
d. Is voluntary1 in nature;
and
e. Takes into account the
ecological, cultural, and
economic realities of the
parts of the world in
which it operates.
1
And therefore is not a mandatory requirement for market access
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3. Have a governance structure that
safeguards impartiality and, for
standard-setting activities,
enables meaningful participation
of directly affected stakeholder
groups.
An overview of your
governance structure,
such as terms of
reference and
organisational structure.
May include web links.
☐
4. Have a standards system that has
commitment from key civil society
stakeholders.
Evidence that relevant
civil society stakeholders
have been mapped and
an indication of their
commitment to the
program.
☐
5. Have an operational assurance
system. This means at least one
entity has already been assessed
using the defined assurance
requirements and procedures, or
the applicant can demonstrate
that at least one entity will have
been assessed using the defined
assurance requirements and
procedures within one year of
joining membership.
Web link to list of
certified / approved
entities;
☐
6. Demonstrate its long-term
viability (e.g. projected income
and plan for financial resilience).
Evidence of current and
planned income and that
the financial model has
been published and
endorsed by governance
body.
Or
Written explanation of
plans regarding pipeline
for assessment of
clients/entities.
☐
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Demonstrating compliance with ISEAL’s Codes of Good Practice
Requirement
Required Evidence
Submitted via
Dropbox?
Demonstrate compliance with the
baseline criteria of the StandardSetting Code and have no significant
barriers to meeting the improvement
criteria within the given timeframe.
Completed Standard-Setting Scorecard & Evidence
Checklist (two sheets in the workbook) and provided
supporting evidence
☐
Completed Standard-Setting Public System Report
☐
Demonstrate compliance with the
baseline criteria of the Assurance
Code and have no significant barriers
to meeting the improvement criteria
within the given timeframe.
Completed Assurance Compliance Scorecard &
Evidence Checklist (two sheets in the workbook) and
provided supporting evidence
☐
Completed Assurance Public System Report
☐
Demonstrate compliance with the
baseline criteria of the Impacts Code
and have no significant barriers to
meeting the improvement criteria
within the given timeframe.
Completed Impacts Compliance Scorecard &
Evidence Checklist (two sheets in the workbook) and
provided supporting evidence
☐
Completed Impacts Public System Report
☐
Notes
Before you submit your Scorecard and Checklist, Public System Report and
supporting evidence via Dropbox, for each Code have you:
1. Completed a Public System Report which is concise and can be clearly
understood?
StandardSetting
Assurance
Impacts
☐
☐
☐
2. Coloured in your level in Scorecard self-assessment. Excel worksheet 1,
Rows F-I?
☐
☐
☐
3. Selected status against Code criteria (e.g. ‘fully meets criterion’) in
Checklist dropdown list for all criteria (Excel worksheet 2, Column I)?
☐
☐
☐
4. Supported ALL your statements with evidence (reference to webpage
and/or file in Dropbox) in Excel worksheet 2, column H (e.g. evaluation
reports, relevant clauses from procedures, evidence from stakeholder
consultations, specific web links, etc.)?
☐
☐
☐
5. Included reference to page and/or paragraph numbers when evidence is
a large document?
6. Clearly named and numbered your evidence files in Dropbox?
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
7. Cross checked the correct file numbers are referenced in Checklist
Location of Evidence column H?
☐
☐
☐
8. Presented the most relevant and representative evidence (Less evidence
but more focused information saves time for the reviewer. You may list
that there is additional evidence available on request)?
☐
☐
☐
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