Remote and Virtual Sustainability Services During COVID-19

The conference features sessions on ESG (environmental, social and governance) and DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), plus first-timer topics.

These are uncertain and anxious times, so we want to assure you that NSF is taking proactive steps to minimize the spread of COVID-19. Our first priority is protecting the health and safety of our colleagues, clients and committee members while still providing valuable public health services to protect the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe and the products we use. In February 2020, we established an internal task force that meets daily to monitor the global situation and to discuss and implement appropriate actions at NSF, including travel restrictions and self-isolation protocols. Based on the latest guidance from the U.S. CDC, we are prohibiting all non-essential, work-related travel worldwide. This includes both international and domestic travel. Due to the widespread ongoing transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19, risk factors and travel restrictions are no longer focused on specific countries. We are requiring all NSF auditors, consultants and other client-visiting staff to adhere to strict preventive measures that go above and beyond what is recommended by the U.S. CDC and the World Health Organization. This is our commitment to you and your colleagues: We will stay home if we are sick. We will purchase a thermometer and check our temperature every morning to be sure we do not have a fever – a measured temperature of 99.5° F (37.5° C) or greater. We will bring a mask and wear it upon client request. We will wash our hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer before or upon entering any client site. We will always sanitize our mobile phones and/or tablets before use during an audit. We will self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms daily. We will self-isolate immediately if we come in contact with anyone known to have a confirmed or presumptive case of COVID-19. Before entering a client site, we will ask the following 3 questions: Do you have anyone on the premises who tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days? Are there any public health travel restrictions – or impending restrictions – in your country or region that would prohibit me from traveling to your location? Do you have any specific health and safety control measures that I need to be aware of prior to my visit? As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads, we want you to know that we are available to provide valuable services so you can continue to operate your business and protect your customers. NSF can provide scheduled desk audits as an alternative to our normal on-site facility audits. In some cases, we can even use wearable technology to conduct remote audits. Please talk to your account manager about solutions that might work for you. We will continue to monitor the latest guidance from the World Health Organization and other public health authorities around the world. In the meantime, please take care of yourself, your co-workers and your family. Contact us if you have questions.

NSF subsidiary NSF Certification, LLC and Soil Association Certification Forestry, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Soil Association, today announced an agreement to offer certification to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) and Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) responsible forest management standards.