Credible practice
ISEAL defines the core values and practices of credible and effective sustainability systems.
Our definitions and associated resources can be used to:
- Help sustainability systems recognise opportunities for improvement
- Support businesses in identifying sustainability systems that are best placed to help them achieve sustainability objectives
- Inform research or policy positions on how sustainability systems can play a role in addressing sustainability challenges
The Credibility Principles define the core values of credible and effective sustainability systems. They provide the foundations for systems to deliver greater impact.
The ISEAL Code provides a globally recognised framework, defining practices for credible and effective sustainability systems. It equips sustainability systems to deliver against changing stakeholder expectations and drives improvements on the sustainability issues that matter.
To complement ISEAL’s Credibility Principles and the ISEAL Code, ISEAL has a wide range of resources that explore the role of credible and effective sustainability systems in addressing critical sustainability challenges.
There are a myriad of sustainability claims in the market today. The ISEAL Sustainability Claims Good Practice Guide was developed through a multi-stakeholder consultation process to define good practice for scheme owners in setting and managing claims about their standards system.
Sustainability benchmarks compare sustainability schemes and tools to assess their robustness and performance. With the rapid growth of market-based tools, governments and businesses are increasingly benchmarking voluntary schemes and tools to inform their decisions. ISEAL’s benchmarking guidance outlines good practices for developing and implementing benchmarks of sustainability systems and tools.
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.
ISEAL recognises that it is essential to understand and take into account different stakeholder perspectives when defining credible practice.
Take part in ISEAL's consultation on the revision of the Claims Good Practice Guide.