She said the voluntary certification process "exponentially raises the confidence level of even more organic consumers".
The Direct Care Alliance offers a voluntary certification program, but only 807 caregivers have applied.
Importers could submit less risky products to voluntary certification in exchange for speedier handling at entry ports.
And recently, Ben & Jerry's became a B Corporation, a voluntary certification by a nonprofit group called B Lab designating companies that uphold high social and environmental standards.
It's a voluntary certification audit that sets environmental standards for a list of "business metrics" that include winery wastewater management, carbon emissions and use of synthetic refrigerants.
The International Society of Arboriculture in Champaign, Ill., (217) 355-9411, has a voluntary certification process for arborists, and the New York State Arborists Associationn, in Latham, N.Y., (518) 453-6461, has a list of arborists.
The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy lists on its Web site, www.nabp.net, 12 online pharmacies that have passed a voluntary certification program, which includes an on-site inspection visit.
The E.P.A. disagrees, but said it was considering providing more data on who trades and holds RINs and had instituted a voluntary certification system for participants.
Concerned about the accuracy of breast pathology, the College of American Pathologists said it would start a voluntary certification program for pathologists who read breast tissue.
The agency has proposed a voluntary certification program that would toughen audit standards and alert federal authorities of problems — an idea that has met stiff resistance from the food industry.
