In 2019, the ISEAL Innovations Fund awarded a grant to Bonsucro to collaboratively develop and test methodologies to help financial service providers improve how they assess their agricultural clients’ sustainability performance, to enable access to better financing opportunities for farmers who produce sustainably. Project partners included the Better Cotton Initiative, and the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS).

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 representatives of IAF, ISEAL, UNDP and the Conformity Assessment Body Associations (IIOC, IQNET and TIC Council) have signed a joint statement about the role of standards and accredited conformity assessment on sustainability assurance. This collaborative effort aims to address urgent sustainability challenges by emphasising the vital role of consensus-based standards and accredited conformity assessment in driving positive impact.

This resource presents a summary of the one-on-one interviews with ISEAL members and select other sustainability initiatives as part of the project on remote auditing practices and assurance responses to COVID-19.

This resource includes the recording and slides of the second learning workshop of the remote auditing project.