Application for Membership

The membership application process is different for each membership category.

Trading members

When applying, a prospective Trading Member commits to putting the aforementioned commitments into practice and to reaching compliance with the requirements. To do so, the prospective Trading Member will follow five main steps and the following application process.

Application Process

Applicants to UEBT are encouraged to carry out a self-evaluation against the Ethical BioTrade standard. This allows them to assess if they meet the minimum requirements of Ethical BioTrade and develop a better understanding of what membership of the Union for Ethical BioTrade entails.
It is recommended to use the following documents for the self-evaluation:

5 stages towards membership

For more information, please check the procedure on the Application process for Trading Members – PRO10 – Membership Application Process for Trading Members.

At each decision making stage (2 and 5) the organization has the possibility to appeal. For more information, please refer to the Appeal procedure.

  1. Prospective Trading Members are required to submit an application form to the UEBT Secretariat. By submitting the membership application form, the Applicant commits to UEBT's membership conditions and obligations.
  2. The application form will be reviewed by UEBT's Membership Committee, which will check if the applicant is eligible for membership. The UEBT’s Membership Committee meets regularly during the year, you can find the dates here.
    Applicants need to pay a registration fee, which serves as down payment for their 1st year of membership fees. Eligible Applicants are given the Approved Candidate status and are invited to continue with step 3.
  3. Within 6 months of being granted the status of Approved Candidate, the applicant must undergo an independent third party audit by one of the Verification Bodies qualified by UEBT. In addition to assessing compliance with the baseline requirements for membership (Minimum requirements), the audit will provide a gap analysis outlining the issues that need to be addressed to achieve full compliance with the UEBT’s Standard.
  4. Assuming the audit confirms that the Approved Candidate meets the baseline requirements for membership (Minimum requirements), the Approved Candidate will be granted Provisional Member status. The Provisional Member is then required to prepare a work-plan that leads the organisation towards compliance with the UEBT Standard. The work-plan needs to be approved by the qualified Verification Body.
  5. Submission to the UEBT Secretariat of the full and public audit report, and of the work-plan (where necessary, a public version). The public documents are evaluated and approved by the Membership Committee and the Board of Directors, based on which, Membership status is granted.

Maintaining membership status

Trading Members will maintain their membership status as long as the annual membership fee is paid and they can show progress in the implementation of their work-plans via annual reports, in line with the procedures established by UEBT, which are the Conditions and Obligations for trading members.

Affiliate members

Prospective Affiliate Members can obtain membership in 2 stages.

  1. Prospective Affiliate Members are required to fill in an application form and submit it to the UEBT Secretariat. By submitting the membership application form, the applicant commits to UEBT's membership conditions. Affiliate Members need to indicate if they comply with the minimum requirements of Ethical BioTrade, and show how they will implement these commitments before being accepted as a member of UEBT.
  2. Revision of the application by the UEBT Membership Committee and Board of Directors. If the application is approved, membership status will be granted upon payment of the first year of membership fees.

Maintaining membership status

Affiliate Members will be required to submit periodic updates on their activities in support of the Principles and Criteria of Ethical BioTrade, as well as paying their annual membership fees.

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