April 2014: The ‘State of Sustainability Initiatives (SSI) Review 2014,’ which resulted from a collaborative effort among several organizations, examines market and performance trends of the 16 most prevalent standards initiatives—such as the Forest Stewardship Council, Organic, and Rainforest Alliance—across ten leading commodity sectors.

The publication reveals double and triple digit growth across the majority of initiatives surveyed. It indicates that the average annual growth rate of certified production across all commodity sectors (excluding biofuels) in 2012 was 41%, which was much greater than the 2% growth in the corresponding conventional commodity markets. The certified palm oil sector experienced 90% growth in 2012, while that of certified sugar was 74%, cocoa was 69%, and cotton was 55%.

The report also suggests that voluntary sustainability standards have been successful in establishing more inclusive governance across global supply chains, third party monitoring as the minimum norm for conformity assessment, and compliance with core International Labour Organization (ILO) labor standards as minimum requirements for market entry.

The ‘SSI Review 2014’ was conducted by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), the Finance Alliance for Sustainable Trade (FAST), Environment and Trade in a World of Interdependence (ENTWINED) and the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH). [Publication: State of Sustainability Initiatives Review 2014]