Voluntary Sustainability Standards and BioTrade: Is There a Connection?

This report provides a synthesis of the connections between selected Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) and the UNCTAD BioTrade Principles & Criteria (P&C). The growth in VSS-compliant production has been increasing, and in some sectors, even exceeding that of conventional production. While VSS have proliferated across multiple sectors, their role in trade and biodiversity still demands greater exploration. The BioTrade initiative, through its P&C, promotes sustainable trade and investment in biodiversity-based products and services. While these are two of the tools that can be used by public and private sector actors to mitigate their negative impacts on biodiversity, there has been little understanding of the alignment between these two tools. This is important to understand the opportunities for mutual recognition and support and to avoid the proliferation of tools.