Systems effectiveness
Sustainability systems can be effective tools for incentivising market-driven sustainability impacts.
This requires systems that are structured to be efficient, effective and accessible. We work with our members and other organisations to ensure that sustainability systems are developed and implemented in credible and impactful ways that reflect the needs and priorities of their stakeholders.
Sustainability standards or performance measures support enterprises to improve their sustainability practices and performance.
Sustainability systems act as a trust mechanism between a producing enterprise or service and a buyer. The assurance or verification practices a sustainability system puts in place create that trust.
Advancement in remote auditing tools and practices has enabled auditors to assess sites remotely, resulting in hybrid auditing that combine remote and traditional on-site approaches. ISEAL is helping sustainability systems to identify when and how to implement effective remote auditing strategies.
Effective risk management is a core function of assurance. Environmental and human rights-related risks can change depending on time, location and context, and assurance processes can also be vulnerable to integrity risks such as poor auditor competence or conflicts of interest. To ensure the accuracy and reliability of assurance results, ISEAL is supporting sustainability systems to understand where these risks arise and put processes in place to respond accordingly.
The effectiveness of a sustainability system is measured by the sustainability impacts that it delivers. Credible sustainability systems monitor their performance and improve their effectiveness over time.
This report assesses leading metrics for measuring and reporting performance over time and across multiple spatial scales. It examines six critical sustainability issues: deforestation, biodiversity, water use, forced labour, poverty, and greenhouse gas emissions. The research supports sustainability systems in making data-driven outcome claims and provides insight into evaluating metric suitability. The report focuses on applicability of metrics and data sources, best practices, and associated limitations and trade-offs.
The ISEAL Common Core Indicators are a common list of indicators that ISEAL Community Members track through their monitoring, evaluation and assurance systems. Data collected on these indicators can be used to analyse the scope of a sustainability system, monitor performance, and assess impact.
Information about sustainability practices and performance needs to flow through supply chains to markets. Credible traceability models enable that flow.
Chain of custody models enable the transfer of information through certified supply chains. They underpin the claims that can be made about an approved or certified product. A range of models exist that enable different claims, and track different data points, and set various controls on the flow of materials through supply chains.
The sourcing landscape is changing – leading companies are setting ambitious voluntary sustainability targets and sourcing policies, while governments mandate entire sectors to identify, mitigate and remediate adverse impacts linked to their business practices. We are working with ISEAL members to adapt their supply chain standards and traceability systems to better support their corporate partners with these needs – focused initially on deforestation and conversion-free supply chains.
Effective data management is the backbone of any successful sustainability system. It enables insights about performance and risk that stakeholders need and that sustainability systems can use to adapt and improve.
This is a standardised metadata set that provides a common code for search and discovery to improve the flow of sustainability information.
Geospatial data helps sustainability systems see and prove their real-world impact. By linking the locations of their certified areas to other data, systems can monitor their activities, spot problems early, and show evidence that their programmes make a difference.
Polygon data can provide huge benefits to sustainability systems if collected and used effectively. Recognising this, we have produced a package of tools and guidance on the benefits of polygon data and how to collect it.
The sustainability claims and communications that companies want to make need to be truthful and supported by a robust sustainability system.
ISEAL developed a framework for credible living wage claims following input from a range of standard setting organisations, companies and trade unions. It focuses on claims about living wages and guides credibility in sustainability communication. Since January 2021, ISEAL has worked with sustainability systems to strengthen their approaches in supporting supply chain action on living wages.
To meet their potential, jurisdictional and landscape initiatives need to be able to demonstrate that they are delivering. ISEAL has developed resources to help ensure that sustainability claims made by jurisdictional and landscape initiatives, and the companies that source from or support them, are credible.
This guidance equips sustainability systems with practical tips on how they can make their impact claims more meaningful and effective with confidence and accuracy.