Background:
Caritas Czech Republic in Mongolia implements the “Switching on the Green Economy” project, funded by the European Union’s Switch Asia program, in Mongolia from 2022 to 2025, along with 3 project partners: People in Need INGO, Mongolian Sustainable Finance Association NGO (MFSA), and Development Solutions NGO. The goal is to encourage a gradual shift to a low-carbon, resource-efficient circular economy in Mongolia. Within the project, the EU’s “farm-to-fork” strategy’s best practices in eco-labeling and green certification are introduced in selected sub-sectors of food and beverages.
In line with the project activities, the project team seeks an international training service provider experienced in audit, verification, and validation through independent certification programs such as the EU Ecolabel and other sustainability-related standards and labels. The provider should also have expertise in training on topics such as the ISO 14020 standards and ESG issues, including water, energy, waste, greenhouse gas (GHG), and sustainability management.
The selected training provider will support the development and implementation of 1) product/process based environmental labelling scheme and 2) a production-based Environment, Social Governance (ESG) assessment to verify circular economic actions adopted by agri-food micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Additionally, the provider will train local verifiers to audit businesses aligned with the new environmental labelling scheme in Mongolia. The total working time will be 29 working days including 10 working days of in-country time required for the tailored training service.
Elaboration:
A: For the product and process based environmental labelling, the project seeks approval for ISO 14024 to MNS ISO 14024, focusing on the following 8 topics:
- Recycled content
- Compostable
- Degradable
- Reduced energy consumption
- Reduced resource use
- Reduced water consumption
- Reusable and refillable
- Waste reduction.
For successful implementation, the government agency will be the scheme owner, overseeing third-party verification bodies accredited to ISO 17029.
B: For the ESG assessment, MSFA will lead the development and implementation of the standards and manage verifiers for second-party verification. The current ESG assessment for food and beverage MSMEs references international and local standards, including ISO 14020 series of standards, WBA, ESRS, SASB, GRI, Malaysian simplified ESG disclosure guidance, UN Global Compact, and MSFA’s ESG reporting guidelines.
Qualifications of the Training Service Provider:
- A minimum of 10 years of experience in ISO standards (specifically ISO 14021 and ISO14024) audit and certification, and sustainability (ESG) standards;
- Specialized focus on training services related to topics such as GHG emission, PEF standards, environmental labelling, water management, sustainability management;
- Proven experience in training developing countries on similar environmental labeling schemes;
- Proven experience in conformity assessment of verification and validation (ISO 17029) within the agriculture, food, and beverage sectors.
How to apply
Interested international training providers should submit the following documents to [email protected] by 5 pm (UTC), October 6, 2024. The email subject should be “SOGE_International training your company name“.
- Proposal including methodology and approach, detailed financial budget, timeline, and work plan (in English). For technical evaluation, include:
- PPT with trainer’s notes,
- Student handouts,
- Teacher handbooks,
- Reading materials, case studies, and workshop tools;
- Company profile and proof of registration;
- Curriculum vitae of team members;
- Links or attachments to similar works such as training curricula, reports, studies, and publications;
- Two reference letters from at least previous two clients within the last three years.