A showcase of applied, data-driven solutions within the ISEAL Community.

This white paper was commissioned by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) as part of the Integration of seafood certification and jurisdictional assurance models project which ran between July 2019 - June 2022, supported by the ISEAL Innovations Fund and State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO.

This is a set of 6 documents comprising guidance and tools for the Women’s Empowerment indicator, for smallholder and large farm contexts.

This Excel document outlines all the Delta indicators, with their respective data points and data collection templates, as well as some reporting examples.

This document outlines the desktop research conducted at the start of the project and explains the process how the Delta Framework was developed.

This Excel document is a questionnaire developed for the pilots conducted to test the Delta Indicators, it aimed to collect data points for most of the Delta Indicators as it was meant to collect only those data points that were not already collected by the piloting organisation through the existing M&E system.

This document presents the set of 15 indicators, the rationale for their selection, definitions, methodological notes, and main references for each indicator. It also includes the learnings from pilot testing the indicators in different countries and settings.

This document presents the details and outcomes of the consultative events carried out in the development of the Delta Framework.

This document summarizes the consolidated learnings from the different pilots of the Delta indicators.

Overview of the 15 Delta indicators on a 1-page graph.

Short presentation outlining the Delta project background, objectives, and activities.

This slide deck outlines a presentation of the Delta Project for the ICAC plenary in December 2019, entitled 'Building consensus on sustainability goals and measurements across agricultural commodities: the case of cotton and coffee'.

This paper explores how Voluntary Sustainability Initiatives (VSIs) for the mining sector can be used to demonstrate that companies have appropriate due diligence systems and processes in place, to ensure that due diligence has been carried out, and to verify due diligence. While VSIs and related verification processes are not a substitute for rule of law and the role of government in establishing requirements and oversight, they can serve as a complementary tool for due diligence.

For companies working to improve sustainability performance within their supply chains, engaging in landscape and jurisdictional approaches is a way to take action at scale. This set of guiding practices for effective company actions in landscapes and jurisdictions aims to support companies taking this step.

This research briefing aiming to inform practice is based on primary research by ISEAL over the last two years and is part of ISEAL’s project with IDH on strengthening sustainability standards to advance living wage goals. This report was written by Kate Robinson of The Outcome Gap, with editorial support from Vidya Rangan, at ISEAL.

Landscape initiatives are increasingly emerging as an effective route to support the environmental and economic resilience of landscapes and smallholder farmers producing raw materials for global supply chains. ISEAL has been exploring the role of landscape and jurisdictional approaches in addressing livelihoods and income challenges for smallholder farmers. This paper forms part of ongoing research to understand to what extent existing landscape initiatives are integrating livelihoods and living income considerations.

The FPIC-360° Tool for monitoring and verifying free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) is a multi-pronged tool, founded on the premise that FPIC can only be conducted responsibly and successfully if the Indigenous Peoples affected by a proposed project are co-owners and implementers of the entire process, from design, through implementation and monitoring phases.

To voice our support for credible claims that are transparent, clear and accurate, ISEAL developed communication notes shared with the EU Council and EU Parliament to outline our key concerns and points of interest.

A technical submission by ISEAL to EU policymakers on the EU Green Claims Directive: Ahead of the trilogue meetings, ISEAL is sharing its perspective and suggested amendments on the texts proposed by the European Commission, the Council, and the European Parliament.  This technical submission reiterates our longstanding support for the Commission's efforts to introduce more stringent regulations to tackle greenwashing, enabling consumers to make more informed purchasing decisions.

There is a strong need for a regulatory approach that allows for product component and whole-of-product claims.

The Good Practice, Better Finance project is an ISEAL Innovations Fund project that aims to develop and test methodologies, as well as improve monitoring tools, which would allow for improved access to affordable finance for farmers. This improved access would be through reward systems based on the integration of farmers’ risk management and sustainability strategies with financial institutions’ own risk assessment frameworks.

The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) was established in 2006, through a multi-stakeholder collaboration involving labour groups, communities, purchasing and mining companies and NGOs. Indigenous Rights Holders IRMA works towards protecting people and the environment directly affected by mining.

Equity is defined as ensuring fairness in the distribution of resources, opportunities, and benefits. Equity requires that all members of society, including future generations, have access to the same rights and opportunities to maintain a decent quality of life. Equity is fundamental to sustainability; without equity, it is not possible to effectively and sustainably uphold human rights, improve livelihoods, or protect the environment.

The EU Forced Labour Regulation (FLR), formally adopted in December 2024 as Regulation (EU) 2024/3015, establishes a ban on placing or making available on the EU market, or exporting from the EU, products made with forced labour. This brief covers background on the file and role of credible Voluntary Sustainability Systems (VSS) in supporting  

The ‘first mile’ – the journey from the production farm to the first aggregation or processing point – is a critical yet often overlooked segment of agricultural supply chains. This report, produced by Proforest and commissioned by ISEAL, aims to shed light on the actors operating in this space and the dynamics that shape it, drawing on examples from cocoa, coffee, rubber and palm oil across diverse regions.