This document provides a summary of the feedback received on V1.2 of the ISEAL Credibility Principles during the consultation from November to December 2020, and how it was addressed.

In September and October 2021, we co-hosted a webinar series with Evidensia to take a deep dive into how and why the new Credibility Principles are important.

ISEAL has developed a draft good practice framework to support sustainability systems to strengthen the effectiveness of improvement strategies.

This guidance developed by ISEAL on Chain of Custody (CoC) System is a reference document for sustainability standards systems that complements ISEAL's Sustainability Claims Good Practice Guide.

This guide supports sustainability systems and their assurance partners make decisions about when remote auditing practices are appropriate and desirable, and how to use new technology and data to both inform and then operationalize that choice. It aims to give practical advice based on experiences to date, both on the types of tools and data sources available, as well as some key considerations for successful integration of remote audit technology into assurance processes.

The latest version (version 2, published in December 2014) of the Impacts Code of Good Practice, for Assessing the Impacts of Social and Environmental Systems.

Guide on donor visibility within communications about the innovations fund.

ISEAL Insight terms and conditions

This document describes how ISEAL will use, process and share information collected from members in the course validating that members meet the ISEAL Community Member Requirements, ISEAL Accreditation Member Requirements and ISEAL Code Compliant Requirements.

This policy is intended to support ISEAL and its governing bodies in applying a sufficient degree of due diligence when reviewing ISEAL Community Member applications, ensuring that organisations approved as ISEAL Community Members meet the eligibility criteria and are committed to improving their systems, building trust and demonstrating transparency.

On 17 November 2021, the European Commission published its Proposal for a Regulation on Deforestation-free Products
(hereafter “the Proposal”). This position paper outlines how ISEAL believes this draft legislation should be adjusted to have a deeper impact on preventing deforestation.

ISEAL welcomes the EU Commission's proposal for a Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (CSDDD) as a necessary and pivotal step towards mainstreaming sustainability in corporate practices and fostering corporate accountability. Within the proposal, certification and verification schemes, as well as industry and multi-stakeholder initiatives play a key role in organising compliance with the proposed CSDDD.

In 2021, ISEAL worked with seven different sustainability schemes to conduct ten field-based pilot audits in different country-sector combinations around the world. The objectives of these pilot audits were two-fold: to provide participating schemes the opportunity to test the use of the Salary Matrix and accompanying IDH Verification Guidelines with certified entities and to provide IDH learnings and recommendations for these pilots to improve these Roadmap’s tools.

This report is written as a resource for any organizations seeking to stimulate demand for the use of sustainability standards and certified products in Brazil, China and India

This 2017 ISEAL report demonstrates how sustainability standards that are ISEAL members are already contributing to the SDGs, pulling together evidence, primarily from members’ evaluation studies and monitoring data and select external sources, of how certification is driving positive economic, social and environmental impacts in many sectors, resulting in measurable progress toward SDG targets.

This ISEAL commissioned report, carried out by 3keel and the University of Oxford, aims to understand the effectiveness of sustainability standards and certification tools in driving the adoption of more sustainable practices in certified entities, thereby contributing to the achievement of key sustainability outcomes.

Interpretation of the clause 6.4.3 on recognition of existing standards.

The latest version (version 6, revised in December 2014) of the ISEAL Standard-Setting Code of Good Practice, for Setting Social and Environmental Standards.

ISEAL welcomes the EU Commission's proposal for a Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (CSDDD). It is a pivotal step towards mainstreaming sustainability in corporate practices and fostering corporate accountability. Within the proposal, certification and verification schemes, as well as industry and multi-stakeholder initiatives, have a key role in organising and supporting compliance. Given this role, it is important to consider how they can best ensure that the implementation of due diligence processes is effective and equitable.

In response to the EU proposal for a Green Claims Directive, this statement intends to go further in establishing robust credibility criteria, by promoting multistakeholder participation, and supporting clear pre-approval and verification processes for sustainability schemes. 

This checklist distils key steps in the guidance for setting up and implementing a sustainability benchmarking exercise or programme.

There are a myriad of 'sustainability claims' in the market today. The ISEAL Sustainability Claims Good Practice Guide was developed through a multi-stakeholder consultation process to define good practice for scheme owners in setting and managing claims about their standards system.

Going further in establishing robust credibility criteria, promoting multistakeholder participation, and supporting clear pre-approval and verification processes for sustainability schemes. This paper reiterates our longstanding support for the Commission’s efforts to introduce more stringent regulations to tackle greenwashing, enabling consumers to make informed purchasing decisions. We would also like to share our views on the proposal and suggest some amendments to make it even more effective.