Introduction to Voluntary Sustainability Standards and their link to trade and biodiversity

Voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) are standards specifying requirements that producers, traders, manufacturers, retailers or service providers may be asked to meet, relating to a wide range of sustainability metrics, including respect for basic human rights, worker health and safety, environmental impacts, community relations, land-use planning and others (UNFSS, 2013).VSS most often refer to standard systems that are voluntary, private, multistakeholder initiatives (Komives and Jackson, 2014).

Sustainable Development Goals:

Life on Land