Last year was especially significant for ISEAL, as we celebrated 20 years of leading the way on credible practices for sustainability systems.

Much progress has been made in the world of sustainability systems since our launch back in 2002. Since then, sustainability standards have evolved from operating in a few sectors, to becoming integral to responsible sourcing practices across supply chains. Over this time, ISEAL has worked to advance scalable and effective solution that make a lasting impact. 

Some highlights from 2022 include:

• Launching the first consultation on the revised ISEAL Code of Good Practice, which recognises a wider range of implementation approaches and emphasises credible claims. 
• Partnering with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to examine grievance mechanisms and explore the role of multi-stakeholder initiatives in advancing remediation for human rights violations.
• Supporting due diligence policy implementation, for example, by engaging on the EU deforestation due diligence legislation, and providing input on the EU Commission’s proposal for a Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (CSDDD). 
• Bringing together our membership with governments, companies and other partners to deepen their impacts on the big sustainability issues, as well as develop and test solutions to these challenges.
• Connecting landscape and jurisdictional practitioners to produce a joint paper (the first in a series) on what constitutes a company landscape investment or action. 
• Publishing a new learning report and briefing on the first phase of the ISEAL Innovations Fund and beginning preparation for the next phase of grant-making.

We have continued to grow our community to include a range of market-based approaches, expanding our membership from 35 to 43 Community Members – an increase of 23 percent this year. We also extended the presence of the Living Income Community of Practice, for which we are the secretariat, to 107 countries, with participation increasing by 31 percent. 

Our work over the last year on topics like human rights and climate is an investment that will continue to develop over the years to come. And we will continue to support sustainability systems and their partners in tackling the complex sustainability challenges we face. 

Read our annual review to learn more about our work and progress.