## 4 Results
### Characterization of C2C Certified Regarding ISO Typology
#### 4.1.4 Governance Characteristics  
The governance characteristics relate to the type of governance, the verification process (including the conformance assessment and final certification), the regulations regarding the awarding criteria revision, and the process of stakeholders' involvement. C2C Certified is managed by the non-for-profit organization C2 CPII (see Section 2.2.2). Regarding the verification process, an assessment body that is trained and accredited by C2 CPII performs the testing, analysis, and evaluation of the applicant. When an evaluation is finalized, the assessment body provides an Assessment Summary Report to C2 CPII, and the latter takes the final certification decision [21]. However, the assessment body, i.e., the body that \"conducts [the] conformance assessment\" of the applicant [35] (p. 7) and \"makes a certification recommendation\" [35] (p. 15), can also act as a consultant. According to C2 CPII, this double role of the assessment body is in the \"best interest of the client by providing guidance to achieve certification\" [35] (p. 7). This is in conflict with the verification requirements of ISO 14024 and ISO 14025; thus, the conformity assessment does not qualify as independent. As the Assessment Summary Report is the main information for a certification decision, this is a significant issue. In comparison, Type I eco-labeling programs shall conform to ISO 14024 by undergoing mandatory, independent, external third-party verification, performed by a body that is independent to the program holder and the applicant [11]. In the case of Type III EPDs, the process is similar, but verifications can be either internal or external. According to ISO 14025, independent external third-party verification is mandatory only when the declaration is intended for B2C communication [16]. Nevertheless, in practice, it is performed by most of the operators. The C2C Certified Product Standard shall be revised no later than three years from the date of the current version [36]. As of November 2017, v3.1 of the standard is under its first revision, which started in June 2014 and is expected to finish by the end of 2018 [37]. A revision of the certification criteria is not explicitly set as part of the process, and this is considered as a flaw in the program's documentation. However, an improved version of the standard is sought in practice, assuming that certification criteria would be revised and eventually improved. In contrast, ISO 14024 clearly states that the awarding criteria for Type I eco-labels shall be reviewed within a predefined period. Similarly, PCR for the elaboration of Type III declarations have a predefined expiration period that is set by the respective program operator, after which the PCR shall be revised or discarded. According to the program's policy for the revision of the standard [38], the revision process should consist of two public comment periods (60 days each), during which external stakeholders may provide inputs. Five advisory groups (one for each quality category) consisting of over 70 experts are responsible for providing expert guidance on the new standard. All of these activities give the impression of substantial stakeholder involvement. Nevertheless, according to personal communication with the C2C Certified support personnel, by the time the present article was submitted, no public comment period had been held, though this is expected to happen in 2018 [39]. The authors do not know of any additional publicly accessible information on any stakeholder involvement process (e.g., protocols of collected and processed comments). Regarding Type I and Type III labels, the respective standards governing their development are both established on Principle 8 of ISO 14020, stating that an open consultation with interested parties should be included in the process of developing eco-labels and declarations. For Type I eco-labels, the product category selection and awarding criteria are a result of a consultation process between the program and the interested parties.