Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC)

Regenerative organic agriculture enters the certification phase. The Regenerative Organic Certified® (ROC™) is an international voluntary scheme promoted by the Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA) to qualify agricultural productions that, in addition to organic farming requirements, adopt more advanced criteria of soil regeneration, animal welfare and social fairness.

Born in the United States in 2017 and progressively extended to international markets, ROC represents one of the most structured attempts to transform the concept of regenerative agriculture, still lacking a harmonized legislative definition and, according to scientific literature, a shared definition (Newton et al., 2020; Giller et al., 2021), into a verifiable set of requirements and practices.

For Italian agri-food companies, this is an interesting voluntary certification also in view of export, as it allows to document through audits independent a series of environmental, zootechnical and social characteristics beyond those required by organic certification.

The Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) scheme

The Regenerative Organic Certified® (ROC) is a private certification scheme managed by Regenerative Organic Allianceorganizzazione, non profit American non-profit founded by Rodale Institute, Patagonia and Dr. Bronner’s.

The aim is to go beyond the simple reduction of the environmental impact of agriculture, promoting production systems capable of regenerating natural resourcesimproving the health of the soilprotecting the animal welfare and guaranteeing fairer social conditions in the supply chain and labor relations.

The scheme is divided into three areas:

1. Soil Health & Land Managementsoil health and land management;
2. Animal Welfareanimal welfare;
3. Social Fairnesssocial fairness.

ROA itself defines these three elements as the heart of the ROC Frameworkwhich is therefore not a simple environmental certification but is characterized by a holistic approachthe agricultural sustainability is assessed simultaneously from ecological, zootechnical and social perspectives.

ROC and organic farming

ROC does not replace organic certificationwhich constitutes the prerequisite on which the ROC path is built. The Framework requires certification according to the US organic program (USDA ) National Organic Programor according to a system that the latter recognizes as equivalent based on trade agreements, such as the European Union organic certification. Bioagricert, a certification body approved by ROA, expressly defines organic as a mandatory prerequisite to access ROC certification.

The ROC scheme must therefore be considered, from this perspective, as a certification additional compared to organic. For an Italian company, the regulatory basis is therefore represented by the European organic farming regulations (EU Regulation 2018/848), to which the specific requirements provided by ROC Framework.

The distinction is also important in terms of commercial communication.

An ROC product must not be presented as if the ROC brand were a European public certification equivalent to the EU organic logo. Instead, it is one international private voluntary scheme, subject to specific certification by bodies approved by the ROA.

Soil health

The first defining element of the ROC is Soil health, with the objective of improving the functionality of the agroecosystem over time. Among the requirements and practices provided by the standard are, in particular:

• increase in soil organic matter, documented with laboratory analyses and field tests;
• protection and increase of biodiversity;
• protection of water resources;
• progressive reduction of soil tillage, up to no-till planting required at the Gold;
• vegetation cover of the soil (cover crops);
• crop rotations, from a minimum of three crops at the Bronze up to seven at the Gold;
• integration between plant and animal productions, among the regenerative practices chosen by the operator;
• exclusion of soilless cultivation systems;
• exclusion of synthetic inputs, including readily soluble fertilizers;
• ban on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and new genomic techniques (NGTs, gene editing).

The difference compared to a generic declaration of ‘sustainable agriculture’ lies in the verifiability of practices.

The producer must indeed demonstrate, through documentation and controls, the actual application of the requirements provided by the standard.

animal welfare

The second area concerns livestock farming, where the ROC integrates specific animal welfare requirements in the certification Animal Welfare, with particular attention to the possibility for animals to express natural species behaviors. Among the defining elements are:

• continuous access to pasture and prohibition of permanent confinement;
• adequate housing conditions;
• transport duration less than 13 hours, except at the Bronze;
• exclusion of intensive farming systems classified as CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations), according to the definition by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency;
• respect for the so-called Five Freedoms of animal welfare.

The Five Freedoms concern, in summary, the possibility to live without hunger and thirst, without discomfort, without pain and disease, without fear and distress, and with the possibility to express normal species behaviors.

Social fairness

The ROC also introduces the dimension ofSocial fairness, which is often overlooked in agriculture outside of certifications such as SA8000, FSSC 24000 e Fairtrade.

The Social Fairness indeed concerns, beyond compliance with labor laws, the economic and organizational conditions of the people involved in production. Among the requirements indicated by the ROA are:

• adequate and safe working conditions;
• commitment to a living wage (living wage), which at the level Gold must be paid to all workers;
• freedom of association and collective bargaining;
• absence of forced labor and human trafficking;
• prohibition of child labor;
• transparency and accountability;
• democratic organization of small producers;
• fair payments to farmers, sufficient to cover production costs;
• commercial relationships and long-term commitments.

It is a particularly innovative element because regeneration, according to this model, also includes the economic and social dimension of the supply chain and its workers.

Who certifies ROC in Italy

Certification is carried out by control and certification bodies that must be approved by the Regenerative Organic Alliance, based on requirements founded on the ISO/IEC 17065 standard.

The official ROA list updated to August 3, 2026 includes two bodies based in Italy:

• Bioagricert S.r.l., based in Casalecchio di Reno (Bologna), approved for the areas Soil Health e Social Fairness;
• Institute for Ethical and Environmental Certification (ICEA), based in Bologna, approved for all three areas, Animal Welfare included.

Both are authorized to operate in all countries of the European Union. In Italy, other ROA-approved bodies based abroad can also operate, including Ecocert and Control Union. For farms, the verification of animal welfare must therefore be entrusted to an approved body for this area.

From the field to processing: the supply chain

ROC certification can involve supply chains, ingredients, and productsProvided that the rules established by the certification and traceability system are respected. This aspect is particularly important for the food industry, since a processed product can use ROC ingredients and communicate the related certification according to the rules established by the ROA. Certified raw materials must remain separate from non-certified ones, and from those of different levels, during transport and storage, until reaching the processing plant.

The management of supply chain therefore becomes essential to ensure the correspondence between certified raw material, processing, and final product.

One of the first examples in Italy is documented by ICEA: the Luca Bianchi Farm of Fabriano, in Marche, certified ROC level Bronze for durum wheat, chickpeas, lentils and alfalfa, produces flours and pasta from organic durum wheat and is the first in Italy to have extended the ROC brand to processed products.

Bronze, Silver and Gold

The ROC system provides three levels of company certification. Bronze It is the entry level: at least 10% of the productive surface, or agricultural turnover, must be certified at the start, with the obligation to reach 50% within the fifth year. Silver It starts at 50% and requires 75% within five years, Gold It requires 100%. At each level, the number of mandatory practices increases, and theaudits for renewal is annual.

For composite products, the labeling rules depend on the percentage of ROC ingredients, excluding water and salt. The seal is allowed from a share of 95% upwards, while between 70% and 95% only the wording is permitted ‘Made with Regenerative Organic Certified®’ referring to no more than three ingredients, without a seal. Below 70%, ROC ingredients can only be indicated in the ingredient list. If raw materials of different levels are used, the indication follows the lowest level.

The ROA provides specific guidelines for the use of the mark and for the statements allowed on labels and advertising related to the ROC content of the product, and prohibits the use of the expression ‘regenerative organic’ without the term ‘Certified®’.

Sustainability label and directive (EU) 2024/825

Regenerative agriculture is a concept rapidly expanding commercially, but it currently lacks specific legislation. The reference to the expression ‘regenerative’ can be qualified as environmental claim (environmental claim) pursuant to directive (EU) 2024/825, known as ECGT or EmpCo (Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition), transposed into Italian law by Legislative Decree No. 30 of February 20, 2026, which amended the Consumer Code (Legislative Decree 206/2005). The new rules apply from September 27, 2026.

The sustainability mark, which the Consumer Code calls sustainability label, can only be displayed if established by a public authority or based on a certification system (Legislative Decree 206/2005, art. 23.1, letter ‘b-bis’). In brief, it is a third-party verification system with publicly accessible requirements which must satisfy four criteria: open to all operators willing and able to comply, under transparent, fair, and non-discriminatory conditions; requirements developed by the owner ‘in consultation with relevant experts and stakeholders’; procedures for cases of non-compliance, with suspension or revocation of the label; objective monitoring entrusted to a third party whose competence and independence, both from the owner of the system and from the operator, are based on international, European or national regulations and procedures (Legislative Decree 206/2005, art. 18.1, lett. 'n-septies'; Dir. 2005/29/EC, art. 2, lett. 'r').

The ROC certification includes these elements. The requirements are published by the ROA, the scheme is open to companies of all sizes as long as they are certified organic, and non-compliances foresee correction periods, 30 days for so-called critical tolerances, up to suspension and revocation of the trademark license. Certification bodies are approved according to requirements based on the ISO 17065 standard, which the directive refers to as an example (EU Directive 2024/825, recital 7).

Also the consultation of stakeholders is documented. The first draft of the standard was subjected to public consultation in 2017, with the support of NSF International. The 2019 pilot program, conducted on 19 companies and brands, led to the revision of June 2020, managed by task force and advisory committees of soil, animal welfare and social equity experts. Farmers and agricultural workers participate in the revision subcommittees, auditor, non-governmental organizations, veterinarians and agricultural economists, and the ongoing revision has undergone a new public consultation, open from March 11 to May 15, 2026. The conformity assessment of each individual label remains, case by case, the responsibility of the Competition and Market Authority.

In any case, the ROA regulates the use of the ROC trademark, of the labels and of the promotional materials, which must be subjected to prior verification and approval in writing before printing or marketing.

Perspectives

The growing interest in regenerative agriculture arises from a concrete question: how to move from simply reducing impact to the ability of agriculture to produce net benefits for the soil, ecosystems, animals, and rural communities? The ROC tries to provide an answer through a unique scheme that integrates these dimensions.

Its main critical issue is, at the same time, complexity. The ROA started a revision process in 2025 of ROC Framework with the aim, among other things, of making the requirements of the three areas clearer and verifiable, to review the structure of the levels Bronze, Silver and Gold and to align the scheme with the requirements of ISEAL, the international network of sustainability standards, and the new European regulations on environmental claims.

For Italian agri-food companies, the ROC can therefore represent an interesting frontier of voluntary certification: not an alternative to organic farming, but an additional level of qualification for those who want to demonstrate, with independent criteria and controls, a path of agricultural regeneration involving the environment, animals, and people.

Dario Dongo

Credit cover Rodale Institute

References

European Union regulatory sources

Directive 2005/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2005 concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the internal market (‘Unfair Commercial Practices Directive’). Consolidated text: 27/09/2026. http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2005/29/2026-09-27

Directive (EU) 2024/825 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 February 2024 amending Directives 2005/29/EC and 2011/83/EU as regards empowering consumers for the green transition through better protection against unfair practices and through better information. OJ L, 2024/825, 6.3.2024. http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/825/oj

Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 on organic production and labelling of organic products and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007. Consolidated text: 25/03/2025. http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2018/848/2025-03-25

Italian regulatory sources

Legislative Decree 6 September 2005, No. 206, Consumer Code, pursuant to Article 7 of Law 29 July 2003, No. 229. Normattiva. Latest consolidated version: 15/05/2026. https://www.normattiva.it/atto/caricaDettaglioAtto?atto.codiceRedazionale=005G0232&atto.dataPubblicazioneGazzetta=2005-10-08&tipoDettaglio=multivigenza

Legislative Decree 20 February 2026, No. 30, implementation of Directive (EU) 2024/825. Official Gazette No. 56 of 9 March 2026. Normattiva. Last consolidated version: 24/03/2026. https://www.normattiva.it/uri-res/N2Ls?urn:nir:stato:decreto.legislativo:2026-02-20;30

Scientific studies

Giller, K. E., Hijbeek, R., Andersson, J. A., & Sumberg, J. (2021). Regenerative agriculture: An agronomic perspective. Outlook on Agriculture, 50(1), 13–25. https://doi.org/10.1177/0030727021998063

Newton, P., Civita, N., Frankel-Goldwater, L., Bartel, K., & Johns, C. (2020). What is regenerative agriculture? A review of scholar and practitioner definitions based on processes and outcomes. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 4, 577723. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2020.577723

Regenerative Organic Alliance: official documents

Regenerative Organic Alliance. (n.d.). Our story. https://regenorganic.org/our-story/

Regenerative Organic Alliance. (2023). Framework for Regenerative Organic Certified® (Version 4.1, effective 27 June 2023). https://regenorganic.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Regenerative-Organic-Certified-Framework.pdf

Regenerative Organic Alliance. (2025a). Labeling guidelines & terms of use (Version 3.4, effective 2 July 2025). https://regenorganic.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Labeling-Guidelines-Terms-of-Use-1.pdf

Regenerative Organic Alliance. (2025b). Regenerative Organic Certified® framework revision: Terms of reference. https://regenorganic.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/ROC-Framework-Revision-Terms-of-Reference.pdf

Regenerative Organic Alliance. (2026a). Regenerative Organic Alliance: Approved certifying bodies (last updated 3 August 2026). https://regenorganic.org/roa_approved_certifying_bodies/

Regenerative Organic Alliance. (2026b). ROC™ framework revision. https://regenorganic.org/roc-framework-revision/

Certification bodies

Bioagricert. (n.d.). ROC – Regenerative Organic Certified. https://www.bioagricert.org/it/certificazione/produzioni-biologiche/roc-regenerative-organic-certified/

FoodChain ID. (n.d.). Regenerative Organic Certified®. https://www.foodchainid.com/sustainability/certification/roc-certification/

Institute for Ethical and Environmental Certification. (n.d.). ROC (Regenerative Organic Certified). https://icea.bio/certificazioni/food/standard-volontari/roc-regenerative-organic-certified/

Institute for Ethical and Environmental Certification. (2025, January 30). ICEA joins the Regenerative Organic Certified® program: a new step towards sustainability. https://icea.bio/icea-entra-nel-programma-regenerative-organic-certified-un-nuovo-passo-verso-la-sostenibilita/

Institute for Ethical and Environmental Certification. (2026a, April 9). The Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA) launches the ROC™ framework revision. https://icea.bio/la-regenerative-organic-alliance-roa-lancia-la-revisione-del-framework-roc/

Institute for Ethical and Environmental Certification. (2026b, July 27). From wheat to pasta: the ROC experience of the Luca Bianchi Farm. https://icea.bio/dal-grano-alla-pasta-lesperienza-roc-dellazienda-agricola-luca-bianchi/

Quality Assurance International. (2017, September 15). QAI not involved in Regenerative Organic Certified protocol; NSF International facilitating public comment process. https://qai-inc-prod.nsf.org/news-events/qai_open_letter_091417.php