Good practices for credible benchmarking
Benchmarks are widely used to assess and qualify sustainability standards, certifications, corporate policies or other initiatives. ISEAL regularly engages with stakeholders to define and promote good practice in sustainability benchmarking, with the goal to support the recognition and adoption of credible sustainability systems.
Sustainability benchmarking has been a common response to the rapid proliferation of market-based sustainability tools and initiatives over the last 20 years. It offers a way to differentiate between these tools and initiatives based on their performance against selected criteria. The results can be used to recognise or support the benchmarked entities, for example, by identifying which are robust or fit for purpose.
Benchmarks can be important tools for driving the uptake of responsible and sustainable practices. At their best, benchmarks have the potential to improve the rigour and effectiveness of the benchmarked entities through a ‘race to the top’ – but unfortunately, they are not always effective, and they can also have serious unintended consequences.
Recognising the lack of guidance for credible sustainability benchmarking, ISEAL led a global consultation in 2019 to inform the development of a good practice guide. In 2025, the guide was revised through public consultation to reflect the current understanding of good practice. With this guide, ISEAL aims to strengthen the quality, transparency, robustness and alignment of benchmarking processes.
ISEAL's Good Practice for Benchmarking Sustainability Systems (v2) lays out good practices for developing and implementing benchmarks of voluntary sustainability systems (VSS). The guide is aimed primarily at the organisations managing the benchmarking process, but it can also be applied by users of benchmarks or VSS being benchmarked to better understand what information they should be looking for.
In addition to the guide, ISEAL makes available:
- A benchmarking good practice checklist
- A list of 50 benchmark criteria for evaluating operating practices