ISEAL CommunityWhere the sustainability standards movement comes together for innovation

The ISEAL Community is a sustainability network unlike any other. It brings together individuals and organisations working in the sustainability standards world who are interested in improving their impacts and learning from others. Whether you represent an established certification programme, a newer standards initiative, or are someone that engages with standards and ecolabels through sourcing, advocacy, consulting, research, or governance, the ISEAL Community can be of great value to you.

The ISEAL Community is where knowledge sharing, collaboration, and innovation take place. Standards initiatives are taking shape in a growing number of sectors and regions, and the ISEAL Community connects these different groups to benefit from each other’s experiences and engage on important issues. Being part of the ISEAL Community is a sign of credibility to your stakeholders and gives you access to ISEAL’s expertise and services.

The ISEAL Community

Who is part of the ISEAL Community?

“ISEAL membership reflects our commitment to monitoring and communicating our impacts, and to improving our standard based on the results.”

Elizabeth Kennedy, Rainforest Alliance, ISEAL member

Members Subscribers

Types of organisations › Standard-setting organisations and international accreditation bodies

› Standard-setters, certification bodies, companies, governments, NGOs, researchers, consultants

Requirements › Comply with ISEAL’s Codes over time

› Follow the ISEAL Credibility Principles

› Commit to continuous improvement

› Align with ISEAL’s mission to strengthen sustainability standards systems for the benefit of people and the environment

Benefits › Increased trust among stakeholders

› Stronger systems through Code implementation

› Increased effectiveness through working groups

› Access to ISEAL tools, training, and resources for developing credible systems

› Engagement with the standards movement

ISEAL membership

Membership pathwayISEAL members are at the heart of the sustainability standards movement, representing some of the most influential organisations in the world that are driving change through the promotion of better production practices. With their increasing penetration into global supply chains and growing recognition from businesses and

governments, ISEAL members are proving to be essential in shifting major sectors and industries towards greater sustainability. Achieving ISEAL membership brings you to the forefront of this movement, where like-minded organisations work towards the shared goal of demonstrating and improving their impacts.

Become a subscriber If you are still developing your

systems, consider joining first as a subscriber to put the building blocks in place for future membership

Full membership Demonstrate full

compliance with the ISEAL Standard-Setting Code

Demonstrate progress towards complying with the ISEAL Impacts and Assurance Codes

Continued Full membership

Demonstrate full compliance with the ISEAL Impacts and Assurance Codes and continued compliance with the Standard-Setting Code

Associate membership

Meet the baseline criteria of all ISEAL Codes

Commit to full compliance with the Codes over time

01

02

03

04

ISEAL members Membership is open to any mission-driven sustainability standards system that has a multi-stakeholder approach and supports the ISEAL Credibility Principles. ISEAL membership is intended to be meaningful, so there are strong obligations and milestones that must be met. These help ensure that membership is a true sign of credibility and impact.

Compliance and learning are the cornerstones of being an ISEAL member. Complying with the ISEAL Codes of Good Practice demonstrates that a standards system is following globally accepted good practice. Long-term sustainability impacts are the true test of a good standard, but the ISEAL Codes of Good Practice provide the clearest picture of how to get there. ISEAL’s Codes are available for all to use, but membership is the only way to confirm compliance with these good practices.

ISEAL members also participate in working groups, strategic discussions, shared advocacy, and collaborative projects.

All interested organisations are invited to read through ISEAL’s membership documents to determine if they qualify for ISEAL membership. Visit www.iseal.org/compliance to learn more write to info@isealalliance.org if you would like to apply.

“ISEAL encouraged self-evaluation that helped us realize the need to strengthen aspects of our system. The guidance provided through the Codes and the support of ISEAL staff were critical to this and have also helped us to plan for the future.”

ISEAL member

ISEAL working groups Standard-Setting

Assurance

Impacts

Claims and Traceability

Communications

Gender

Living Wage

Pesticides

Joint Audits

ISEAL subscribers

Subscribers are an important part of the ISEAL Community, both as potential future members and supporters of the standards movement.

Becoming a subscriber is the ideal starting point to learn more about ISEAL and to show your support for sustainability standards. Unlike ISEAL membership, which has formal compliance requirements, any interested organisation or individual that agrees to align with ISEAL’s mission can become a subscriber. ISEAL has close to one hundred subscribers, including government agencies, NGOs, certification programmes, and sustainability initiatives.

You might be a company looking to source certified materials, a government body referencing ecolabels in your policies and procurement, an NGO aiming to endorse good quality certification programmes, or a consultancy helping to create a standard. Being an ISEAL subscriber brings you closer to the issues through ISEAL’s technical resources and analysis of the major trends

in the standards landscape. Another benefit is relationship building, punctuated by the invitation-only ISEAL Community Day, which follows the Global Sustainability Standards Conference.

Being a subscriber is especially useful for emerging standards initiatives that want to ensure they are setting a robust standard and have the credible systems in place to implement it. You will have access to an array of training resources specifically designed for the development of new initiatives, as well as the opportunity to get deeper support from ISEAL staff. Subscribers also have the opportunity to engage with and learn from established certification programmes.

Subscriber benefits General training webinars and

materials, and the opportunity to access customised support

ISEAL analysis, insight, and research in an exclusive monthly newsletter

Ability to share your news in ISEAL’s online space

Participation in the annual ISEAL Community Day

“The ISEAL community connects leaders in the field of standards and certification.”

Caren Holzman, Enabling Outcomes, ISEAL subscriber

ISEAL training and support

ISEAL’s training and support services are exclusively available to the ISEAL Community (members and subscribers). Certification is growing in many sectors as a tool for sustainable development, but those behind the development of a standards system might not have the necessary knowledge about what processes to follow and what is considered credible. ISEAL aims to fill this gap and serve as a place where people are empowered to develop good quality standards systems through our services.

Our general training helps standard-setting organisations to strengthen their work on the essentials, with regular webinars and slidecasts, and a set of guidance manuals that are available to access on the ISEAL website at any time, as well as full-day in-person workshops. These services are a useful way for organisations to learn how the ISEAL Codes of Good Practice and the

ISEAL Credibility Principles might be applied to their initiative, but can also be informative for anyone wanting to enhance their grasp of the essentials of sustainability standards.

ISEAL also offers customised support for organisations in need of more personalised services to fit their circumstances. This can take the form of tailored workshops, document reviews and access to one-on-one support from ISEAL experts.

To learn more visit www.iseal.org/services

Services availableGeneral training

Guidance manuals

Regular webinars and slidecasts

Sustainability Standards Essentials in-person workshops

Customised support

One-on-one consultations

Document reviews and guidance on interpreting ISEAL’s Codes

Tailored webinars and workshops

ISEAL’s areas of expertise Standard-setting

Stakeholder engagement

Impacts monitoring

Theory of change

Certification and accreditation

Auditor competence

Alternative assurance models

Claims and labelling

Traceability and chain of custody

Governance of standards

Financial models

“Excellent guidelines on the steps and components of a standards system”

“I really liked the exercises and the fact that you can meet people from other standards”

“Good mix of lecturing by our facilitator and interaction, group work and exercises.”Training workshop participants

For more information on joining the ISEAL Community write to us at info@isealalliance.org or visit our website at www.iseal.org

ISEAL Alliance 50-52 Wharf Road, The Wenlock Centre, London, N1 7EU, UK

Tel +44 (0) 20 3246 0066 Email info@isealalliance.org Website www.iseal.org Twitter @ISEALalliance