Round Table on Responsible Soy Association

What Round Table on Responsible Soy Association does

Round Table on Responsible Soy Association (RTRS) is a global non-profit multi-stakeholder association founded in 2006 and headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. It convenes producers, industry/trade/finance actors, and civil society organizations under a tripartite governance model to develop and operate a certification system for responsible soy and, since 2021, responsible corn. Its core product is the RTRS Standard for Responsible Soy Production (Version 4.0), structured around five principles and 108 progressive mandatory compliance indicators covering legal compliance, labor conditions, community relations, environmental responsibility (including zero deforestation and zero conversion), and good agricultural practices. Complementary standards cover Chain of Custody, No-OGM, Group/Multi-site certification, and EU RED alignment for biofuels.

RTRS monetizes the standard through three streams: tiered annual membership fees (€0 for individual certified producers, €250 for small producers, local civil society, and observers; €1,250 for international civil society; €2,500 for large producers; €3,500 for industry/trade/finance members); annual Platform access fees for non-member trading organizations (€100 under 1,500 tonnes/year, €500 above); and facilitation of RTRS Credits and physical certified material trading via the RTRS Platform. Supporting tools include the Soy & Corn Footprint Calculator (with two allocation models and certified by Alpha CRC), RTRS Maps for biodiversity-based zoning across Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay, and online training through Hotmart. Certification is delivered through a network of nine or more accredited third-party certification bodies (Bureau Veritas, Control Union, SGS, Imaflora, Cotecna, FoodChain ID, Genesis, LSQA, AmSpec), themselves accredited by national bodies (OAA, INMETRO, OUA). At scale, the system covered 8.9 million tonnes of certified soy production with 8.1 million tonnes of buyer uptake, 2+ million certified hectares in Brazil, and 220+ member organizations across 30+ countries.

Name

Round Table on Responsible Soy Association

Legal name

Round Table on Responsible Soy Association

Website

https://responsiblesoy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

RTRS is a Zurich-based global non-profit that operates a multi-stakeholder certification system for responsible soy and corn, serving 220+ producers, industry/trade/finance members, and civil society organizations across 30+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Agriculture Certification

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Import/Export & Border Compliance Support (FSVP, Prior Notice, Health Certificates) (AFALADAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Dispute Resolution, Arbitration & Independent Third-Party Verification (AFAOAMAI)

Keywords

• Sustainable soy certification
• Responsible soy production
• Supply chain traceability
• Deforestation-free certification
• Multi-stakeholder round table

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees varying by constituency and category. Producers with >10,000 ha certified and non-certified RTRS land pay €2,500 annually. Producers with <10,000 ha non-certified RTRS pay €250. Producers with <10,000 ha certified RTRS (individual or multi-site) pay €0. Associations representing producer interests pay €250. Industry, Trade and Finance companies pay €3,500. International civil society organizations pay €1,250. Local civil society organizations pay €250. Observer members pay €250.
2. Platform Fees: Organizations acquiring RTRS material can request Platform access and pay annual fees. Organizations acquiring less than 1,500 tonnes per year pay €100 annually. Organizations acquiring more than 1,500 tonnes per year pay €500 annually. RTRS Members have Platform access included without additional fees.
3. Credit and Physical Material Trading: RTRS facilitates trading of certified credits (1 tonne certified soy = 1 RTRS Credit) and physical certified material through its Platform. Direct commerce and blind commerce (anonymous) trading options are available for credits, while physical material uses direct commerce only. Billing and payment between organizations occur outside the Platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

RTRS develops and operates a global multi-stakeholder certification system for responsible soy and corn production, anchored on standards with 108 progressive compliance indicators covering legal compliance, labor conditions, community relations, environmental responsibility, and good agricultural practices. The association provides a Chain of Custody standard, an online Platform for transaction registration and traceability of certified credits and physical material, a Soy & Corn Footprint Calculator, and RTRS Maps for geographic zoning. Members include producers, industry/trade/finance actors, and civil society organizations across 30+ countries.

Product overview

RTRS (Round Table on Responsible Soy Association) is a global non-profit certification organization that offers a comprehensive suite of certification products and services for responsible soybean and corn production. The core portfolio consists of: (1) certification standards for Responsible Soy Production (V4.0) and Responsible Corn Production (V1.0), both guaranteeing zero deforestation and zero conversion; (2) the Chain of Custody Standard for traceability; (3) two market access mechanisms—RTRS Credits (tradeable certificates) and RTRS Certified Physical Material (with Balance of Mass, National Material Balance, and Segregation options); (4) supplementary certification scopes for No-OGM and EU RED biofuels; (5) the RTRS Platform for online transaction registration and traceability; (6) the RTRS Soy & Corn Footprint Calculator for embedded content calculation; (7) RTRS Maps for geographic zoning; and (8) online training courses. The products work together to enable producers to get certified and buyers to acquire certified material through credits or physical supply chains.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RTRS Platform (Plataforma Online) An online platform for global registration and traceability of RTRS-certified material transactions (credits or physical flow), accessible to value chain actors globally. Members access free; non-members pay annual fees based on volume.
• RTRS Credits Tradeable credits earned by certified producers equivalent to their certified production volume (1 ton of certified soybean = 1 credit; 1 ton of certified corn = 1 credit), enabling buyers to support responsible soy production through credit purchases.
• RTRS Certified Physical Material - National Material Balance Physical certified material system allowing certified operators to aggregate balance-of-mass accounting across multiple physical sites at the national level.
• RTRS Certified Physical Material - Balance of Mass Physical certified material system where certified soy can be mixed with non-certified soy in controlled processes, maintaining mass balance accounting at a single site.
• RTRS Certified Physical Material - Segregation Physical certified material system where certified soy is kept 100% physically separate from non-certified soy throughout the supply chain.
• RTRS Soy & Corn Footprint Calculator A transparent public tool that calculates the amount of soybean and corn embedded in soy products (oil, meal, lecithin) and corn products (oil, flour, gluten meal) for animal feed and food products, using the RTRS Conversion Factors System based on economic allocation and demand-based allocation models.
• RTRS Standard for Responsible Soy Production A holistic certification scheme with five principles and 108 progressive mandatory indicators ensuring zero deforestation and zero conversion in soybean production. Targeted at producers, certification bodies, and accreditation bodies.
• RTRS Standard for Responsible Corn Production A complementary module to the Responsible Soy Production Standard requiring compliance with 14 additional indicators for responsible corn production.
• RTRS Chain of Custody Standard Standard establishing requirements for traceability systems to manage RTRS-certified material inventories throughout the supply chain, applicable to producers, supply chain actors, certification bodies, and accreditation bodies.
• RTRS Maps (Mapas RTRS) A zoning tool to guide responsible soybean production in Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay, identifying areas of high biodiversity importance with restrictions for certification and zones for possible expansion on already consolidated areas.
• RTRS EU RED Certification for Biofuels Certification scope enabling certified producers and supply chains to export soy to European Union member states as raw material for biofuels, aligned with the EU Renewable Energy Directive.
• RTRS No-OGM Certification Certification for non-genetically modified soybean, requiring compliance with Module D of the Chain of Custody Standard and validation through semi-quantitative PCR testing.
• RTRS Online Courses and Training Exclusive training courses on the sustainable soy production standard, delivered through the Hotmart platform, covering sustainable soy production standards and sector knowledge.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8.9 million tonnes of certified soy production capacity
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Accountability Frameworks Initiative (AFi)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Alignment of RTRS visions and values with common frameworks including the Production Standard under AFi initiatives.
• AAPRESID (Asociación Argentina de Productores en Siembra Directa)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Agreement between RTRS Production Standard and AAPRESID's agricultural certification (AC) for no-till farming recognition.
• FEMAS (Feed Materials Assurance Scheme)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Double certification agreement between FEMAS and RTRS enabling mutual recognition of certifications.
• GMP+ InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Cooperation agreement between GMP+ International and RTRS for feed safety certification.
• Organismo Argentino de Acreditación (OAA)coreOthersNational accreditation body in Argentina that accredits Certification Bodies for RTRS standards (Production and Chain of Custody). Located in Buenos Aires.
• Instituto Nacional de Metrologia, Qualidade e Tecnologia (INMETRO)coreOthersNational accreditation body in Brazil that accredits Certification Bodies for RTRS standards. Located in Rio de Janeiro.
• Organismo Uruguayo de Acreditación (OUA)coreOthersNational accreditation body in Uruguay that accredits Certification Bodies for RTRS standards. Located in Montevideo.
• Bureau VeritascoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAccredited certification body (OAA) for RTRS Production Standard and RTRS Chain of Custody Standard. Contact: Julieta Viglioni in Argentina.
• Control Union CertificationscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAccredited certification body (OAA) for RTRS Production Standard and Chain of Custody. Contact: Tomas Pueta in Brazil.
• Cotecna Inspección ArgentinacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCertification body providing RTRS certification services in Argentina.
• FoodChain ID CertificadoracoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAccredited certification body (INMETRO) for RTRS Production and Chain of Custody standards in Brazil.
• Genesis CertificaçõescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAccredited certification body (INMETRO) for RTRS Production and preliminary accreditation for Chain of Custody.
• ImafloracoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCertification body providing RTRS certification services in Brazil.
• SGS GroupcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCertification body providing RTRS certification services in Argentina.
• LSQAcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAccredited certification body (OUA) for RTRS Production and Chain of Custody in Uruguay.
• Fundación Vida Silvestre ArgentinaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with RTRS for development of Argentina Maps, with GIS team (Mayra Milkovic and Daniela Arpigiani) providing mapping expertise and using official data from Secretaría de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sustentable de la Nación and INTA.
• 3Keel LLPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSustainability consulting firm specializing in food systems, supply chains, and landscapes. Commissioned by RTRS to develop the Soy & Corn Footprint Calculator and conversion factor documents.
• Universidad AustralminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrestigious Argentine educational and research institution commissioned by RTRS to develop research reports on soy and corn conversion equivalencies for the Footprint Calculator.
• Alpha CRCminorOthersGlobal technology company that audited, tested, and certified the new Soy & Corn Footprint Calculator.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification): ISCC is a globally applied sustainability certification system covering biomass, biofuels, and agri-food feedstocks, including soy. It directly competes with RTRS in EU RED-aligned soy certification and is recognized by FEFAC, making it the closest functional substitute for European-trader buyers.
• ProTerra Foundation: ProTerra certifies responsible soy and other crops with non-GMO and zero-deforestation claims. It competes head-to-head with RTRS for European food and feed buyers seeking traceable, responsibly produced soy and is similarly benchmarked against FEFAC guidelines.
• Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB): RSB is a global multi-stakeholder sustainability certification system for biomaterials, including biofuels and bio-based feedstocks. It overlaps with RTRS on biofuel feedstock certification and EU RED-aligned standards, serving similar producer and trader constituencies.
• Better Cotton Initiative (BCI): BCI is a multi-stakeholder, ISEAL-aligned commodity sustainability scheme — structurally analogous to RTRS but for cotton. It demonstrates the membership-based, standards-led model RTRS operates and is a relevant peer for governance, certification, and platform monetization benchmarks.
• Bonsucro: Bonsucro is a multi-stakeholder, ISEAL-aligned certification for sustainable sugarcane. It mirrors RTRS's round-table governance model for a biofuel-relevant commodity and serves as a structural peer for standards development, member engagement, and EU RED market access.

Broad incumbents

• Rainforest Alliance: Rainforest Alliance operates a broader portfolio of sustainability certifications (commodities including soy via mass-balance models) and is part of ISEAL. It is a much larger incumbent that overlaps with RTRS's deforestation-free soy claims but covers many more commodities and geographies.
• Fairtrade International: Fairtrade is an ISEAL-aligned multi-stakeholder certification system addressing labor and sustainability standards across multiple commodities. While focused on social/labor dimensions rather than zero-deforestation soy, it competes for the same corporate sustainability budgets and supply-chain attention.

Others

• ISEAL Alliance: ISEAL is the global membership body for sustainability systems that defines the credibility benchmark RTRS meets. It is an ecosystem peer (RTRS is an ISEAL Community Member) and serves as an enabler and credibility validator for RTRS's market positioning.
• SAI Platform (Sustainable Agriculture Initiative): SAI Platform is an industry-led food and beverage sustainability initiative whose Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) rated RTRS as maximum level in 2023. It is a benchmarking peer that indirectly drives demand for RTRS-certified material from major CPG members.
• Preferred by Nature: Preferred by Nature is a non-profit sustainability organization that sits on RTRS's Executive Board and offers complementary land-use certification services. It is an ecosystem partner with overlapping presence in responsible commodity sourcing and certification capacity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@rtrsglobal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/round-table-for-responsible-soy-association
• Xx.com/ResponsibleSoy

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Round Table on Responsible Soy Association