This report looks at the issues facing small certified producers and their expectations and experiences of certification, and explores how standards can address producers’ needs and priorities.

This briefing note shares insights and learnings from a series of semi-structured interviews ISEAL conducted with fourteen leading, global companies engaged in living wage actions.

This document provides practical guidance for sustainability systems to support them in generating valuable and actionable insights from data. Utilizing concepts in data science, it is intended for sustainability systems seeking to maximise the value of their data, combine data sources, and enable improved data-driven decision making procedures.

Learn how a partnership between the government of the world’s largest coffee producing state – Minas Gerais – and the world’s largest voluntary standard for coffee, UTZ Certified, enables producers access to high-value markets while scaling-up more sustainable production practices.

A concise document that outlines the key lessons learned from the VIA Initiative.

This document summarises the results of a pilot project coordinated by ISEAL to face the challenge of communicating the impacts of standards. It also reflects on the value of this pilot as a rich learning experience for all the individuals involved.

An introduction to the new GIS self-starter kit, which gives a glimpse of the possibilities of GIS and how the tools can be integrated into audit routines. The self-starter kit explains what GIS is, introduces some commonly used GIS software and applications and describes how to use them.

In this video, small producers report on the impact sustainability standards have had on their life. 

ISEAL has been actively supporting policymakers and businesses in understanding how credible sustainability systems can help tackle deforestation. In this statement, ISEAL focuses on the role of certification schemes within the EU Proposal for a Regulation on Deforestation-free Products, and presents its position in three key points: 
1. Certification systems cannot and should not replace due diligence responsibilities placed on companies

The Wage Auditing Working Group sought to explore this potential by providing opportunities for sustainability systems to discuss the topic of wages, including auditing and verification of wages, to support their efforts to measure and bridge living wage gaps. The working group ran from May 2021 to June 2022. It was set up as part of a 1.5-year project led by ISEAL on supporting effective measurement, verification and improvement of living wage gaps.

Webinar on key concepts in the development of a Theory of Change (ToC) for standard systems.

A conversation with Danielle Burt on the Gender Equality and Empowerment Benchmark developed by the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA). Sanjiv Singh (ASI), Chris Grieve (EDGE Certification) and Magali Barraja (BSR), on the discussion panel, will share their thoughts on this initiative.

This webinar explores innovations that ISEAL members are involved in, including projects supported by ISEAL’s new Innovations Fund, such as blockchain and geospatial data.

Voluntary sustainability standards have the potential to deliver impacts that go beyond individual certified operations and effect wider systemic changes, according to new research published by WWF and ISEAL. These ‘systemic impacts’ help to create an enabling environment for production and consumption practices that benefit people and the planet, and contribute toward the Sustainable Development Goals.

Rainforest Alliance reports on and receives feedback for their public consultation on the new sustainable agriculture standard.

What is the role that standards systems play in changing the practices of certified entities? How effective are standards systems in driving change in practices over time? This webinar explores these questions and delves into the findings of a new research review conducted by the University of Oxford and 3Keel consultants.

In this webinar, Equitable Origin shares the insights gained and outputs generated from a ten month project funded by the ISEAL Innovations Fund to explore how FPIC processes could be better monitored and verified. The right to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) is a key principle of international human rights law.

This webinar looks at the critical factors that help independent assurance programmes be credible and effective. Member examples, including RSPO, are used.

This resource includes the recording of the Webinar: ISEAL guidance to support remote auditing practices; Overview, Discussion and Next steps

Juan Isaza, Program Manager, explains what the IPM Coalition is and how this initiative will accelerate the elimination of highly hazardous pesticide usage throughout the world.