About standards

ISEAL members are leaders in their field and offer some of the most effective and credible standards in a wide range of sectors. ISEAL, as the global membership association of sustainability standards, holds a unique position of expertise within this landscape. We engage with a large group of users of standards and other important audiences, including governments, NGOs,  businesses, researchers, and emerging standard-setters themselves.

ISEAL develops guidance and facilitates coordinated efforts to scale up our members’ social and environmental impacts. Over the past two decades, ISEAL members have worked to tackle some of the world’s most pressing problems. They have had positive impact on the ground while creating growing demand for sustainable products. Today marks an important time for sustainability standards as they work to demonstrate their impacts and scale up rapidly and efficiently.

What is a sustainability standard?

A sustainability standard is a set of criteria defining good social and environmental practices in an industry or product. Watch the video below on what standards do and the different parts of a standards system that make them credible.