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Ottawa, April 28, 2020 – Environmental damage linked to palm oil production has led to consumer boycotts and import restrictions in some markets, but a new study says adhering to voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) can mitigate some of the worst environmental impacts of producing the world’...
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Ottawa, March 27, 2020 – What are the sustainability issues financial service providers (FSPs) consider important when assessing investment requests from smallholder farmers in developing countries? The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) consulted 51 investors during the s...
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Ottawa, January 30, 2020 – Corporate sustainable sourcing commitments of leading food manufacturing companies are increasing demand for voluntary sustainability standard (VSS)-compliant sugar, with the sector experiencing a compound annual growth rate of about 52% from 2008 to 2016, accounting fo...
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Ottawa, Thursday December 19, 2019 – The volume of tea produced in compliance with voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) has grown at a compound annual growth rate of 35 percent since 2008, reaching at least 19 percent of overall production in 2016. In contrast, conventional tea product...
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In celebration of World Biodiversity Day, we interviewed Vivek Voora, an associate with IISD working on the State of Sustainability Initiatives, to get his thoughts on how standards can impact biodiversity.
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The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) launches the second report of the Sustainable Commodities Marketplace Series covering the cocoa sector. Ottawa, Thursday November 21, 2019 – With the rapid proliferation of voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) in the cocoa sector...
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Ottawa, June 6, 2019 – The amount of coffee produced in compliance with voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) is increasing at a higher rate than the overall sector, with significant growth coming from countries with low human development. This according to a new report from the International ...
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Food security is an intersectional issue. It touches on income, poverty, access to resources, gender-based discrimination and health. With food security being critical to so many facets of a woman’s livelihoods, how can development organizations utilize voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) t...
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Ensuring certification reaps rewards: the case of a Rwandan coffee cooperative. Participating in certification programs and meeting sustainability standards can have valuable benefits for smallholder farmers and fulfil environmental and social objectives. But what happens when, despite the time a...
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The demand and supply of standard-compliant products has grown significantly over the last two decades, with over 400 voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) operating across the planet. How can VSS organizations contribute to policy-making on biodiversity protection?