Working toward more transparent and sustainable forms of production, consumption, and trade.

About SSI

The State of Sustainability Initiatives advances sustainable and inclusive value chains by providing credible and solutions-oriented research, dialogue, and strategic advice for decision-makers about voluntary sustainability standards and other supportive initiatives.

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Latest Publications

Leveraging Sustainability Standards for Reporting on SDG Progress

This report explores the role that VSSs can play in helping governments advance the Sustainable Development Goals and better track and report on their progress toward achieving them.

Reducing Poverty: Voluntary sustainability standards can support smallholder farmers

A new policy brief summarizes the findings of our SSI Review exploring how VSSs can help reduce poverty for smallholder farmers.

Voluntary Sustainability Standards and Investments in Sustainable Agriculture

A new policy brief summarizes the findings of our SSI Review examining how VSSs can reduce financial risks to support investment in sustainable agriculture.

Global Market Report: Banana prices and sustainability

This report explores market trends in the banana industry and how VSSs and other supply chain actors can build producers' resilience to sustainability challenges.

Voluntary Sustainability Standards in South Asia

Focusing on major cotton and textile producers Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, the report shows that these VSSs require farmers and textile facilities to adopt more sustainable practices with potentially far-reaching benefits.

Organic Transitions Need Some Push and Pull to Bear Fruit

A careful, tailored approach with a diversity of supportive measures can lead to successful organic transitions.

Food Loss and Food Waste in Kenya: From sourcing to supplying

IISD and the Retail Trade Association of Kenya are hosting a one-day workshop in Nairobi for supply chain actors and policy-makers to discuss ways to reduce food loss and food waste in Kenya.

Exploring the Benefits of Integrating Sustainability Standards in the Kenyan Flower Sector

This meeting will convene participants from a new study on the alignment of voluntary and mandatory sustainability standards in the Kenyan flower sector to share and discuss research findings of interest to policy-makers advancing sustainability and trade goals in other agricultural sectors.

Transparency and Visibility in Cotton Textile and Apparel Value Chains

This webinar convened members of the Sustainable Fashion Academy (SFA) Learning and Innovation Network for an interactive session addressing tools for enhancing transparency, visibility, and collaboration in textile and apparel supply chains.

Leveraging Sustainability Standards for Reporting on SDG Progress

This event launched a new report examining how governments can work with sustainability standards to advance the SDGs and better track and report on their progress toward achieving them.

Voluntary Sustainability Standards in South Asia

This webinar discussed how voluntary sustainability standards can help address sustainability issues in the cotton sector in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Voluntary Sustainability Standards and Increasing Investments in Sustainable Agriculture in the WAEMU Region

In cooperation with the West African Economic and Monetary Union, IISD hosted a two-day virtual workshop to examine the potential benefits of VSSs operating in the region and how they might help policymakers to further their objectives in the agricultural sector.

Commodities Coverage

Our current work highlights eight agricultural commodities complying with voluntary sustainability standards, focusing on global sustainable consumption and production.

Banana

Cocoa

Coffee

Cotton

Palm Oil

Soybean

Sugar

Tea

View All Commodities

Working toward more transparent and sustainable forms of production, consumption, and trade.

About SSI

Latest Publications

Leveraging Sustainability Standards for Reporting on SDG Progress

Reducing Poverty: Voluntary sustainability standards can support smallholder farmers

Voluntary Sustainability Standards and Investments in Sustainable Agriculture

Global Market Report: Banana prices and sustainability

Voluntary Sustainability Standards in South Asia

Organic Transitions Need Some Push and Pull to Bear Fruit

Latest Events

Food Loss and Food Waste in Kenya: From sourcing to supplying

Exploring the Benefits of Integrating Sustainability Standards in the Kenyan Flower Sector

Transparency and Visibility in Cotton Textile and Apparel Value Chains

Leveraging Sustainability Standards for Reporting on SDG Progress

Voluntary Sustainability Standards in South Asia

Voluntary Sustainability Standards and Increasing Investments in Sustainable Agriculture in the WAEMU Region

Commodities Coverage

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