Marine Collagen Certification
Raw materials from certified fisheries or aquaculture in compliance with labor rights.
About the certification
Friend of the Sea marine collagen certification assesses defined collagen products against requirements for marine sourcing, production, workers’ rights and traceability.
Certification applies to the defined products or species in the approved scope. It does not certify the organisation as a whole or automatically cover everything it sells. Audits check the relevant production activities and evidence needed to establish product compliance.
What can be certified
Marine collagen ingredients and finished collagen products can be assessed. The scope identifies the products and source species to be certified. Producers, processors, suppliers and end brands can apply. Capsule-shell criteria apply when the product uses a capsule shell; they are not a universal requirement for collagen powder.
What the standard covers
The summary below follows the marine-relevant provisions of the Collagen, Gelatine and Animal-Derived Products standard, revision 1 dated 22 July 2025. The full document also contains bovine requirements, which are not presented here as marine raw-material criteria.
Marine raw materials must come from Friend of the Sea-certified sources or equivalent certifications accepted under requirement 2.1 of the standard. Valid certificates and invoices identify the certified source. Source certification alone does not certify the finished collagen product.
Revision 1: requirement 2.1.
Source species must not be listed as Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. The assessment uses the scientific species name.
Revision 1: requirement 2.2.
Production requirements cover mapping energy sources used in extraction and a formal energy-efficiency plan with targets over three to five years. Both are classified as Important requirements.
Revision 1: requirements 1.1-1.2.
Post-extraction wastewater must be constantly monitored and comply with applicable legislation. Evidence includes accredited laboratory reports for biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand and solids. The water-efficiency criterion calls for water recycling systems and at least 75% process-water reuse; it is classified as Important.
Revision 1: requirements 1.3-1.4.
Acids and enzymes require controlled storage and safety data sheets. Reagents must have traceable end-of-life disposal, with no release into the environment.
Revision 1: requirements 1.5-1.6.
The producer must commit to annual improvement in recovery, reuse and recycling, aiming to recover value from at least 95% of incoming raw materials no later than three years after the first audit. This is a timed improvement goal, not a claim that every product already achieves 95%.
Revision 1: requirement 1.7.
Marine fish gelatin for capsule shells must come from Friend of the Sea-certified seafood processing by-products or fisheries approved under requirement 3.1. Supplier certificates and records must trace the material back to certified fish processing facilities. Gelatin materials must come from animals officially certified as fit for human consumption. Shell additives must meet requirement 3.5, supported by technical data sheets, chemical safety logs and origin checks. Bovine gelatin shells also require the separate farm-certification and post-2020 forest-conversion and degradation checks.
Revision 1: requirements 3.1-3.5; applies only to capsule-shell materials.
Requirements address minimum working age, prohibition of forced labour and discrimination, legal minimum wages, healthcare access and training on chemical and physical risks. Records must document protective equipment distribution and accidents or injuries used to guide prevention.
Revision 1: requirements 4.1-4.4.
Certified and non-certified products must remain separate. Audits include traceability checks at the beginning and end of at least one finished-product batch, supported by mass balances, bills and invoices. The traceability test must be completed within four hours. Records demonstrating compliance must be kept beyond the product shelf life.
Revision 1: requirements 5.1-5.3 and the traceability test section.
This is a summary. The full applicable standard defines the requirements and evidence. Essential and Important criteria follow the corrective-action rules set out in the standard; recommendations are not compulsory for certification.
Independent certification and international recognition
An independent certification body assesses compliance with the applicable product requirements. Friend of the Sea is listed as an endorsed scheme by Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated (Global ACI). This is scheme-level recognition, not a separate endorsement of every product.
End-brand audits are based on documentary evidence for the products to be certified, including supplier certificates, product information and traceability records. Producers and processors are assessed against the requirements relevant to their production activities. A brand that also manufactures or processes products must include those activities in its assessment.
Certification fees
Suppliers and end brands use the same published price list. The applicable fee depends on the relevant category, revenue band and products or species covered; using the same list does not mean every applicant pays the same amount.
The price list shows annual royalties for new contracts. Audit costs are quoted separately by the certification body. VAT is additional where applicable.
Standards and supporting documents
Supporting documents
Check certification status
Search the directory for the relevant product or species and check its certification scope and status. A company name in the directory does not mean that all its products are certified.
Frequently asked questions
Certification applies to the defined products or species in the approved scope. It does not certify the organisation as a whole or automatically cover everything it sells. Audits check the relevant production activities and evidence needed to establish product compliance.
End-brand audits are based on documentary evidence for the products to be certified, including supplier certificates, product information and traceability records. Producers and processors are assessed against the requirements relevant to their production activities. A brand that also manufactures or processes products must include those activities in its assessment
Yes. An end brand must pay the applicable Friend of the Sea logo royalties and obtain authorisation to use the logo, even when its supplier is already Friend of the Sea certified. Supplier certification does not transfer logo-use rights to the brand. Only the approved products may carry the logo.
No. Both use the same published price list. The applicable category and fee calculation determine the amount payable. Audit charges are separate.
The general marine raw-material criterion requires certified sources and does not impose a universal by-products-only rule. A separate criterion specifies source routes for marine fish gelatin used in capsule shells.
No, not when the product has no capsule shell. Section 3 is explicitly limited to the materials forming a capsule shell. The other applicable sourcing, production, social and traceability requirements remain relevant.
No. Friend of the Sea certification assesses the applicable sourcing, production, social and traceability requirements. It does not establish a product’s clinical effectiveness or health benefits. It does not replace applicable product safety or labelling obligations.
Apply for certification
Tell us which marine collagen products and source species you want certified, who supplies them, and whether you are a producer, processor, supplier or end brand. For capsules, include the shell material.
The preliminary information form is confidential and does not commit you to proceeding.