Smart assurance approaches for improving the detection of sustainability risks

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Project overview
Key learnings
Impact
Download project outputs

Introduction

Project details

Project lead: Assurance Services International (ASI)

Project partners: Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)

Duration: September 2023 to July 2024

Sector focus: Forestry, Agriculture, Aquaculture

Geographical focus: Global

Contact: Marcel Köhler, Data Insights Manager – m.köhler@asi-assurance.org

Project overview

Building on learnings from a previous initiative, ASI set out to develop and test an innovative approach to assurance – to improve analysis of certified areas, and rapidly identify key sustainability risks, such as deforestation.

The aim was to harness existing and cutting-edge technologies to enhance performance monitoring, at scale – including satellite data analysis, artificial intelligence (AI) remote sensing algorithms, and ground verification using drones.

Taking a collaborative approach, ASI partnered with FSC and ASC to develop a proof of concept for the use of these technologies into assurance and certification systems, and guidance for sustainability systems looking to integrate them.

Download the Smart Assurance Guidance below, also available on the Knowledge Hub created for the project.

Key learnings

Integrating remote sensing and drone technology into assurance processes can allow for more efficient, data-driven insights and enhanced decision-making.
The use of risk scoping to identify high-risk areas enabled targeting priority regions for remote sensing analysis, improving responses to deforestation red flags.
Incorporating drone technology required balancing equipment selection, staff training, regulatory compliance, and stakeholder communication, ensuring alignment with project goals and building understanding of its purpose.
Future advancements could involve leveraging AI for deeper satellite and drone data analysis and expanding monitoring beyond deforestation, such as forest biomass changes and high conservation value (HCV) areas.

Impact

The project successfully demonstrated the potential of the approach tested to:

Increase transparency, by providing objective and verifiable insight on the impact of sustainability systems on the ground, enhancing their overall credibility.
Effectively detect and validate deforestation across different schemes and sectors.
Scale-up monitoring activities to analyse certified sites across an area.
Raise the effectiveness of on-site audits, using insights from satellite data to select targets and identify areas of interest at certified sites.

The Value Proposition available below documents the benefits of the approach and use cases for two sectors – forestry and agriculture.

Download project outputs

Smart Assurance Guidance - Assurance Services International

The Smart Assurance project, supported by the ISEAL Innovations Fund (September 2023 to July 2024), developed and tested a new type of oversight process that combines the use of satellite data, analytical methods, and ground verification supported by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs or drones) with assessment practices to provide enhanced oversight both at scale and with a new level of granularity.

This guidance describes the approach and provides a step-by-step process for application in other assurance and certification systems.

Smart Assurance Guidance - Assurance Services International

The Smart Assurance project, supported by the ISEAL Innovations Fund (September 2023 to July 2024), developed and tested a new type of oversight process that combines the use of satellite data

PDF

1.45 MB

Smart Assurance Value Proposition - Assurance Services International

The Smart Assurance project, supported by the ISEAL Innovations Fund (September 2023 to July 2024), developed and tested an approach which leverages Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and drone technology to create cutting-edge insights for assurance systems that ensures accuracy, efficiency, and transparency. This documents the key benefits of the approach, and use cases in two sectors - forestry and aquaculture.

Smart Assurance Value Proposition - Assurance Services International

The Smart Assurance project, supported by the ISEAL Innovations Fund (September 2023 to July 2024), developed and tested an approach which leverages Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and drone

PDF

138.79 KB

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