Governance
How certification decisions are made, and the safeguards that keep them independent.
Structure and roles
Certified Microplastic-Free™ separates commercial operations from technical decisions. The Executive Director is responsible for operations, client relationships, licensing, and enforcement of seal usage. The Scientific Director is responsible for eligibility determinations: whether a product meets the published CMF Standard. Certification decisions are made by the Scientific Director on the documented evidence and cannot be overridden for commercial reasons.
Basis for decisions
Every determination is made against the published, versioned CMF Standard in effect at the time of review, currently CMF Standard v1.0. Reviews follow a documented checklist, produce a written determination, and are recorded with the standard version they reference. Where the evidence leaves genuine ambiguity about a component, the standard's precautionary default applies and the ambiguity is resolved against certification. Applicants can submit additional documentation and request reconsideration of any determination.
Conflict of interest safeguards
Review fees are charged for the review itself and are not contingent on approval; an application can be declined after a paid review. We do not provide paid consulting to applicants on how to pass certification, and we do not certify products in which our directors hold a financial interest. Certification grants a license to use the seal under a written agreement, and that license is revocable if a certified product changes in ways that no longer meet the standard.
Accountability
Anyone can challenge a certification or report suspected misuse of the seal through our complaints and appeals process or by writing to info@microfree.org. Material changes to the standard are versioned and recorded in the public changelog, and certified clients are notified when the standard changes. Our review methods and their limits are described plainly on our methods transparency page.