The time has finally arrived.

Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC), the new certification that we have been writing about for the last few years, is finally set to open its doors to all interested brands.

Started by Patagonia, Dr. Bronner’s and Rodale Institute, ROC aims to raise the bar for what organic represents. It uses the USDA organic certification as a baseline and then mandates additional requirements that address soil health, animal welfare and social fairness. The standard prohibits hydroponics and farms that do not treat animals humanely (“organic factory farms”), two of the most controversial areas in organic.

Over the past year, 19 companies from around the world participated in ROC’s pilot program, all trying to garner one of the three designations — bronze, silver or gold.

ROC was able to receive valuable feedback directly from its participants, and adjustments have since been made, most notably to the ones related to tillage, soil sampling and animal welfare.