Round Table on Responsible Soy Association

The essence of the Round Table on Responsible Soy is bringing the various constituencies together and help them establish a meaningful compromise. By definition, the final RTRS standard is a compromise between the legitimate interests and concerns of all stakeholders who participate. The RTRS standard subsequently derives its strength from the fact that it is widely embraced by all the constituencies, enabling it to transform a global, mainstream commodity sector.
Some NGOs have criticized elements of the standard such as the inclusion of genetically modified soy or allowing some types of expansion to continue. On the flip side of the coin, some producers have felt that the standard is too demanding on farmers. For the RTRS, the challenge is to find the middle ground.
The current standard has done so by, for example, not allowing producers to clear native forest for soy while allowing them to responsibly expand within other biomes. Also, while the standard does not exclude GM soy, it does enable soy producers and purchasers to build fully separate non-GM, RTRS certified supply chains.