SCS Extends Third-Party Environmental Certification Services to West Africa

SCS Global Services (SCS) has announced the expansion of its third-party environmental certification services into West Africa.  Dr. Richard Bonsi, who has worked at the company's Emeryville, Californiaheadquarters for the past four years in the natural resources division, will relocate to Ghana to head up the company's West African operations.

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"There is a strong demand for high quality, third-party certification of products and businesses in West Africa," said Dr. Robert J. Hrubes, Executive Vice President of SCS. "As the African natural resources sector grows, SCS certification will give buyers confidence that the environmental and sustainability claims made about the products they purchase are accurate."

SCS West Africa will offer a full range of environmental certification services, including:

• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification
• Timber legality verification
• Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification
• Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certification
• Food safety auditing and training
• Responsible biofuel certification
• Carbon offset verification for REDD projects

"Timber legality verification, FSC certification and greenhouse gas verification have a particularly promising future in Africa," said Bonsi. "Africa accounts for 17% of global forest area, but less than 2% of the FSC certificates to date, signaling a great potential for growth of responsible forestry.   Exports of agricultural products are also on the rise, indicating a growing need for certification of crop production and food handling systems."

Dr. Bonsi brings extensive experience to his new posting. Having worked in the forest products sector for over 15 years, his experience includes manufacturing management, applied research, change management, marketing and trade. Dr. Bonsi's hands-on industry experience and familiarity with the Ghanaian and African natural resources sector will serve SCS' customers well.  An expert in certification and timber legality verification, Bonsi will look to support Africa's responsible forestry industry, and grow other areas of certification within SCS' portfolio of services. Dr. Bonsi holds a Ph.D. in Natural Resource Business Development, Marketing and Trade from Virginia Tech and an M.B.A. from TU Bergakademie Freiberg in Germany.

SCS Global Services (SCS) is a global leader in third-party environmental and sustainability certification, auditing, testing and standards development, operating for nearly three decades. SCS programs span a wide cross-section of industry sectors, recognizing exemplary performance in natural resource management, green building, product manufacturing, food and agriculture, retailing and more. SCS is a Certified B Corporation™, reflecting its commitment to socially and environmentally responsible business practices.