Climate shocks, market volatility and evolving regulation are reshaping global supply chains, placing increasing pressure on producers. The ISEAL Global Sustainability Symposium in Ghana will bring together producers, policymakers, businesses and sustainability systems to explore how more resilient and equitable outcomes can be achieved.

For producers, these pressures are already shaping day-to-day decisions, from managing climate risks to navigating price fluctuations and changing regulatory requirements. These are immediate challenges that affect livelihoods, planning and long-term security.

On 9 June 2026 in Accra, the ISEAL Global Sustainability Symposium will explore how more resilient supply chains can be strengthened amid growing uncertainty and change.

Ghana provides a strong context for this conversation. As a major producer of commodities, particularly cocoa and timber, it sits at the heart of global supply chains. At the same time, it faces many of the pressures shaping them, from climate impacts to evolving market and regulatory expectations.

Across the country, a range of initiatives and partnerships are already underway to help address these challenges, involving producers, government and supply chain actors. These include work on forest protection linked to cocoa production, progress in forest governance and legal compliance, and emerging approaches to traceability and producer data through COCOBOD’s Cocoa Management System. Together, these initiatives illustrate how resilience is already being built in practice. Holding the discussion in Ghana connects global debates to what is already happening on the ground.

Placing producers at the centre

Global supply chains depend on producers, yet they are often the least visible in how systems are designed and discussed. Building resilience starts here. It requires improving access to training, finance and markets, while addressing deeper challenges such as income and risk distribution.  

The Symposium centres these perspectives, drawing on insights from Ghana and across global value chains to shape the discussion.

“In Ghana and across global supply chains, resilience is not an abstract concept, it is a daily reality for producers navigating climate shocks, price volatility and shifting demands. Policy, markets and sustainability systems need to work better together to respond to these challenges,” says Karin Kreider, Executive Director, ISEAL.

Moving beyond compliance

Much of the focus on supply chain sustainability has been on meeting certification and regulatory requirements. This has helped define good practices, but it does not address the full set of challenges producers face.

Resilience requires a broader approach, addressing root causes of risk and enabling producers to adapt to changing conditions over time. Static requirements are not enough. Credible sustainability systems are evolving accordingly, maintaining verification while placing greater emphasis on continuous improvement, risk mitigation and remediation, while enabling long-term progress.

Bridging policy and practice

The policy landscape is changing quickly. New regulations are increasing expectations on companies to understand and address risks in their supply chains, from due diligence to sustainability reporting. In this context, credibility matters. Systems need to be transparent, accountable and able to demonstrate impact if they are to support both policy goals and market expectations.

This creates both opportunity and tension. Regulation can drive progress, but it must be workable across different contexts and avoid creating unintended barriers for producers.