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

Measures to Enhance Forest Conservation and Reduce Deforestation: Viewpoints and lessons from producing countries

This report outlines and compares various policy measures that Costa Rica, Gabon, Indonesia, Peru, and Rwanda have put in place to address deforestation.

Voluntary Standards and Initiatives for Carbon Management: Navigating the landscape

These two reports unpack the complex landscape of voluntary standards and initiatives for carbon management to help private sector actors reach net-zero emissions. The first report provides an overview of the different types of initiatives, their key characteristics, and the challenges they face. The second report and accompanying scorecard compare nine carbon neutrality standards using a rigorous benchmarking methodology.

Producer Inclusion in Voluntary Sustainability Standard Governance

This report analyzes the extent to which producers are included in the governance of agricultural standards and recommends ways for standard-setting organizations to give producers opportunities to help steer their course.

How Can Sustainability Standards Do More to Ratchet Up Smallholder Farmers’ Incomes?

This article explores why we need to get better at recognizing, measuring, and sharing the social and environmental costs of producing food and goods so the burden to pay doesn’t fall on smallholder farmers.

From Cotton Ginner to Retail Rack: How much do we really know about “sustainable” cotton?

This video explores the complex value chains behind our t-shirts and towels and asking why we need to get better at tracing garments from the store back to the farm.

South-South Trade and Voluntary Sustainability Standards: Challenges and opportunities

South–South trade is growing rapidly. This report explores how governments in developing countries are using sustainability standards in their trade policies to ensure this growth benefits small-scale producers, communities, and the environment.

Sustainability Standards and Commodity Prices: How to better support farmers’ livelihoods

Disruptions in international commodity prices are threatening livelihoods in developing countries. This webinar will explore how sustainability standards can better support farmers to get higher prices and incomes and use more sustainable practices.

Training Workshop on Promoting Agricultural Cooperatives in Cambodia: The role of voluntary sustainability standards and responsible contract farming

This workshop will provide training and guidance on how various policy and legal tools can support agricultural cooperatives in Cambodia and address some of the challenges they face.

Dialogue on Producer Inclusion in Voluntary Sustainability Standard Governance

We gathered representatives from six standard-setting organizations to share and discuss the findings from our new report on producer inclusion in sustainability standard governance.

South–South Trade and Voluntary Sustainability Standards: Challenges and opportunities

This webinar will share and discuss the findings from a new report exploring the use and effectiveness of sustainability standards in South-South trade policies.

Recommendations to Support Organic Agriculture in Madagascar

This webinar brought together local actors and policy officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries of Madagascar to present recommendations for implementing the first Territoire à vocation d'agriculture biologique in the country.

Measures to Enhance Forest Conservation and Reduce Deforestation

This event aimed to enhance participants' understanding of domestic policy efforts in developing economies and the evolving trade policy context to address deforestation and enhance forest conservation.

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