In its Press Release the Earth Island Institute’s International Marine Mammal Project (IMMP) announced last Friday that their global Dolphin Safe Tuna Monitoring Program has been certified in compliance with ISO 9001 standards.
“We are pleased that our 50-country International Dolphin Safe Monitoring Program fully complies with the independent ISO 9001 standards,†stated David Phillips, Director of IMMP. “The Dolphin Safe labeling program is a big win for dolphins and for consumers, who want to make sure that their purchases are verifiably safe for dolphins.â€
ISO 9001 standards evaluate quality management, standardized practices, efficient program functions, and customer satisfaction. QMS, a private third-party certification company based in Florida, will regularly audit Earth Island's Dolphin Safe Program to ensure continued compliance with ISO 9001 standards.
Earth Island's monitoring program is one of the largest and most successful environmental monitoring programs in the world, encompassing more than 300 tuna companies, brokers, fishermen, and retail outlets world-wide in more than 50 countries. More than 90% of the world's tuna industry adheres to the international standards for “Dolphin Safe†tuna - no chasing or netting of dolphins in order to catch tuna. The program has been in existence for fifteen years.
“Verifying the dolphin-safe operations of tuna companies around the world has been instrumental in the protection of dolphins and other marine life,†added Phillips. “We are proud of the work of our monitors and heartened by the hundreds of tuna companies that have honestly and diligently complied with the Dolphin Safe standards. Now, under ISO 9001 standards, we have independent recognition of the quality of our work.â€
According to the ISO website section: What does “Conformity to ISO 9001:2000†mean? The answer is: the ISO 9001 standard means that your supplier (of a product, service or software) has established a systematic approach to quality management, and is managing its business to ensure that your needs are clearly understood, agreed and fulfilled. A statement of conformity to ISO 9001:2000:2000 should not, however, be considered as a substitute for a declaration or statement of product conformity.
Source: EII Press Release + ISO website