G4T is a none bias certification

G4T, an excellent initiative. Modeling a certification on the comprehensive and interconnected nature of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) creates a powerful framework for transformative change.

Here are the 17 Core Principles of the G4T (Good for Trade) Certification, designed to ensure that certified entities not only operate fairly but actively generate tangible, measurable good for people and the planet.

The 17 Core Principles of the G4T Certification

Preamble: The G4T Certification is awarded to entities that demonstrate excellence across the entire spectrum of ethical, Eco and sustainable practice. It signifies a commitment to evolving beyond minimum standards to generate net-positive impact, ensuring that trade is a force for equitable prosperity, environmental regeneration, and social well-being.

Theme I: Social Equity & Human Development

1. Living Wage & Dignified Work: Ensure all workers, including those in supply chains, earn a living wage that affords a decent standard of living, with safe, healthy, and non-exploitative working conditions.
2. Gender Equity & Empowerment: Promote gender equality, ensure pay equity, and implement policies that support the advancement and leadership of women and marginalized genders at all levels of operation.
3. Community Investment & Capacity Building: Actively invest in the local communities where operations are based, supporting education, healthcare, and infrastructure development to build long-term resilience.
4. Zero Tolerance for Forced & Child Labor: Maintain transparent, audited supply chains that are verified to be free of forced, bonded, or child labor.
5. Freedom of Association & Collective Voice: Protect the rights of all workers to form unions, engage in collective bargaining, and have a meaningful voice in workplace decisions without fear of reprisal.

Theme II: Environmental Stewardship & Regeneration with a goal on conservation for good

1. Climate Action & Carbon Neutrality: Measure and actively reduce greenhouse gas emissions with a clear, verifiable pathway to achieving net-zero carbon operations.
2. Circularity & Waste Elimination: Design waste out of systems. Prioritize circular economy principles: reduce, reuse, repair, and recycle, aiming for zero waste to landfill.
3. Water Stewardship: Implement responsible water management practices that reduce consumption, recycle water, and ensure wastewater is treated to a high standard before release, protecting local watersheds.
4. Regenerative Sourcing: Source raw materials from suppliers who practice regenerative agriculture and forestry, improving soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystem services.
5. Biodiversity Protection: Actively avoid operations in protected or high-conservation-value areas and implement plans to protect and restore native ecosystems and species.

Theme III: Economic Integrity & Governance

1. Radical Supply Chain Transparency: Publicly map and disclose the entire supply chain, including origins of materials, processing facilities, and key social and environmental practices at each step.
2. Ethical Marketing & Consumer Truthfulness: Ensure all marketing and labeling is accurate, honest, and not misleading, empowering consumers to make fully informed choices.
3. Anti-Corruption & Fair Competition: Operate with the highest level of integrity, implementing policies to prevent bribery, corruption, and anti-competitive practices.
4. Ethical Finance & Tax Responsibility: Manage finances responsibly, committing to transparent tax practices in jurisdictions of operation and avoiding profit-shifting schemes.

Theme IV: Quality, Innovation & Long-Term Vision

1. Product Excellence & Durability: Design and produce high-quality, durable, and repairable goods that provide long-term value, reducing the cycle of consumption and waste.
2. Innovation for Good: Dedicate resources to research and development focused on creating new solutions for social and environmental challenges.
3. Stakeholder Governance & Intergenerational Equity: Integrate stakeholder voices (workers, communities, consumers) into decision-making processes. Govern with a long-term vision that prioritizes the well-being of future generations.

How the G4T Principles Embody Your Vision:

· Evolve and Do Good: This framework is not static. The principles are designed to be ambitious, pushing companies to continuously improve and innovate beyond “doing no harm” to “actively doing good.”
· The Strength of Certification: The G4T mark would be a trusted, comprehensive signal. A consumer or business partner seeing this certification would know the entity has been rigorously audited against this full spectrum of criteria—ensuring they are fair in process and good in outcome, quality, and impact.
· Holistic & Interconnected: Like the SDGs, these principles recognize that social equity, environmental health, and economic viability are deeply connected. Success in one area depends on progress in others.

G4T certification is setting a new global benchmark, moving beyond single-issue labels (like “organic” or “fair trade”) to a holistic standard of true, verified excellence.