MAKING SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAINS A REALITY

Trade for Sustainable Development Street address: ITC 54-56, rue de Montbrillant 1202 Geneva, Switzerland

Postal address: ITC Palais des Nations 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland

Telephone: +41-22 730 0111

Fax: +41-22 733 4439

E-mail: [email protected]

Internet: http://www.intracen.org

The International Trade Centre (ITC) is the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations.

© International Trade Centre 2015 Foreword from ITC Executive Director

“Our sustainability standards programme provides all who are part of interna- tional supply chains with a way to navigate the constantly moving standards landscape, at a time when supply chains are increasingly complex.”

Sustainable development matters to everyone. It is at the National and international governments are moving ahead Harmonization is the third principle. We all need to build core of International Trade Centre’s mission. That is why six with sustainable public procurement commitments as are on existing resources and methodologies in a collaborative years ago we began the Trade for Sustainable Development many multinational corporations. These commitments, way to avoid re-inventing the wheel, duplicating audits or Programme (T4SD), to promote sustainable supply chains however, could entail the risk of being lost in the web of creating overlapping codes, definitions, and initiatives that as a means to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) overlapping sustainability standards, codes, and sourcing serve the same purpose. in developing countries add value to their products and policies. services. The final principle is about aligning work and activities to Certification costs are increasing and there is a danger that the United Nations Post-2015 Development Agenda – the Since then, the sustainability “landscape” has become a market inefficiencies could occur. On the other hand, the “Sustainable Development Goals”. more challenging one. There is a proliferation of standards, private or voluntary nature of these initiatives can also be codes of conduct and other sustainability initiatives which a strength, fostering innovation and a more agile response ITC’s programme contributes to making sure these may create additional challenges, and sometimes burdens to sustainability imperatives such as climate change and conditions are in place through increased transparency, on consumers, multinationals, NGOs, governments, and workers’ rights. institutional capacity building for compliance and ultimately particularly SMEs in the developing world. by fostering convergence. The “Trade for Sustainable Development Principles” To be sure, these sustainability initiatives can provide new are a set of core values that are intended to support Our expectation is that our partners will support these trade opportunities, improve product quality, mitigate more equitable and impactful trade. The principles were T4SD principles and conduct their activities in line with environmental degradation, improve compliance with launched at the first ITC Trade for Sustainable Development them. I hope you will find the following information useful social and labour standards, and boost the overall Forum in October 2014. in understanding the full breadth of the T4SD programme competitiveness of SME exporters. But these benefits will and how these principles can be an integral part of the only be fully realized if there is investment of financial and The first principle isSustainability . We expect organizations sustainable development discourse. technical resources to identify, understand and meet these to support and promote sustainable trade practices with standards. This is often more difficult for small producers in regards to social, environmental, economic, management, We look forward to working with you. the developing world. quality and ethics issues. These are all components of the production, processing and trading of goods and services. This investment is not just an option; it is a major component of business. To meet the growing demand for The second principle is Transparency. Organizations shall goods and services that are framed by these sustainability also contribute to clarity through demonstrating openness Arancha González parameters, there is a need to take action to ensure they to sharing good practices, trust and inclusiveness at all are a critical part of the business plan of any SME. levels. Executive Director, International Trade Centre THE ITC TRADE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME IS CENTRED AROUND A SET OF FOUR CORE PRINCIPLES

SUSTAINABLE SUSTAINABILITY TRANSPARENCY HARMONIZATION DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Support and promote Contribute to efficiency in Build on existing resources Act in alignment to the United sustainable trade practices, global supply chains by clear and methodologies with a Nations Post-2015 Development with regards to social, demonstration of openness collaborative approach avoiding Agenda, which builds upon the environmental, economic and to sharing good practices, to duplication that may provoke Millennium Development Goals, management, quality and foster transparency, trust and proliferation of standards, with a view to developing a set of ethics issues at stake in the inclusiveness at all levels of multiplication of audits or global sustainable development production, processing and global supply chains. assessment methodologies. goals. trading of goods and services.

The Trade for Sustainable Development Principles ensure full alignment with the United Nations Post-2015 Development Agenda. By adhering to the Principles, companies and institutions working with our pro- gramme are expected to embrace and enact a set of core values to support sustainable trade.

We invite you to become a signatory today by completing the Letter of Endorsement of the T4SD Principles (http://ow.ly/IAB2O).

1 PROGRAMME COMPONENTS Et, iliquaecea sit dolectes aut illenisquam re, voluptatus eum quatem apereheniet, omnihil isquae volo con pliatem. Tius, qui berum qui corehendi qui aborporem recepedit fugia sandis a ne doluptiam apic torerisIhic torioreicab ilit, vel molorae ne nis et, accaborum elitas ex et alicide bistione conem experna tiore. G

L T4SD GLOBAL DATABASE PAGE 05-06 O B A

L STANDARDS MAP PAGE 07-08

P U

B PAGE 09-10

L SUSTAINABILITY MARKETPLACE I C

G SUSTAINABILITYXCHANGE PAGE 11-12 O O D CAPACITY BUILDING & RESEARCH PAGE 13-14

SPECIAL PROJECTS PAGE 15-18

MAKING SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAINS A REALITY

2 OVERVIEW The Trade for Sustainable Development programme is a globally recognized, credible and trusted initiative which serves as the central repository and dissemination platform on sustainability standards

T4SD GLOBAL DATABASE STANDARDS MAP SUSTAINABILITY MARKETPLACE Establishing a common language to reference Shedding light on standards initiatives through Connecting actors along sustainable supply standard initiatives transparency chains

Voluntary standards, codes of conduct, sustainability Information collected, reviewed and quality controlled Standards Map enables farmers, producers and initiatives and best practices addressing issues related to on standards initiatives is freely accessible in an online, manufacturers to self-assess themselves against the environmental protection, work and labour rights, quality interactive and user-friendly platform called Standards requirements set by standards applicable to their context. and food safety, or ethics have grown exponentially over Map. Standards Map is part of ITC’s suite of Market the past decade. Analysis Tools which counts over 450’000 registered users. The assessment takes the form of an online questionnaire. At the end of the assessment, a diagnostic report provides Actors along international supply chains – consumers, Practitioners from public and private institutions, small and a detailed analysis of areas needing improvement. producers, buyers and policy makers – face challenges medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and multinationals can understanding and keeping track with standards and use the Standards Map to identify, review and compare This report can be shared directly online with partners, sustainability requirements. information on over 170 standards initiatives, applicable to certification bodies or other interested parties. over 80 sectors and 180 countries. The core component of the T4SD programme is a credible, A new module, the Sustainability Marketplace, will be central, and neutral repository for standards information Standards Map enables the review of standard initiatives’ added to Standards Map during the third quarter of 2015. which provides transparency and enables comparability process and sustainability requirements in tables, charts between standards initiatives’ processes and and graphical format. The Sustainability Marketplace will enable farmers, requirements. All information is updated and reviewed processors and manufacturers to share their diagnostic yearly by each respective standard-setting organization, The analysis can be made across 1000 criteria which reports with buyers looking to source sustainable or by individual experts who have been designated by the are broken up in two main categories, processes and products and services. A component of the Sustainability organization to fulfill the role of data reviewer. requirements. The “Standard Processes” cover information Marketplace will also be made accessible to standard pertaining to standards audits, claims and labelling, organizations, enabling them to analyse and generate The information is collected using a “common language” support and governance, while “Standard Requirements” analytical reports of users who made their report public. which enables the referencing of diverse sustainability provide the specific standards’ requirements pertaining to initiatives. sustainability. 3 SUSTAINABILITYXCHANGE CAPACITY BUILDING & RESEARCH SPECIAL PROJECTS Promoting information sharing through supply Empowering stakeholders to engage in Leveraging the T4SD product offering to fit the chains communities sustainable production and trade needs of specific actors

As a complementary tool to the suite of global public goods Producers and exporters lack the necessary information T4SD has developed nine customized platforms that offered by T4SD, SustainabilityXchange is a community- tools to understand and analyse the differences and leverage the repository of standards information and the owned online platform that aims to improve performance overlaps among standards initiatives, and they also need Standards Map IT platform. These nine platforms help our and help increase participation of agricultural producers help to better understand their current capacity against a partners create synergies, avoid duplication and save time from developing countries and emerging markets in range of potential standards applicable to their products. and resources. Some examples of these platforms are certified sustainable trade. provided in a dedicated section of this brochure. The T4SD programme includes several capacity building and SustainabilityXchange supports agribusinesses and research activities which ensure that the programme remains producers, often unaware of the many sustainability in sync with the expectations of its main target users. certification schemes and sustainability initiatives, to improve their organizational capacity and ability to manage and control quality: it aims to centralize and make available existing knowledge and available expertize on sustainable agricultural production and trade, both generic and standard-specific.

4 T4SD GLOBAL DATABASE Establishing a common language to reference voluntary standards

A KEY FEATURE OF T4SD IS THAT IT PROVIDES A “COMMON LANGUAGE” FOR STANDARDS

Different standards Management Quality languages Social

Ethics 1 Environment Standards Map

UIREME Q NT E S Harmonization R 2 VOLUNTARY STANDARDS

PR OCESSES A common language 3 General Standards Governance for standards

Support Audit 4 Claims & Labelling

The T4SD programme has developed a common set namely environmental quality, social equity, sustainable All existing and new partners of ITC who reference of criteria which enables the referencing of standards management, product/service quality and ethics. information in the T4SD global database follow T4SD data initiatives which are very different in nature. This common entry protocols. Data in the database is annually updated. set of references enables the collection and review of The 1000+ data entry points are the roots of the “common While the T4SD team maintains an active collaboration 5 standards information around two dimensions. “Standard language” used to collect, review and quality control with all participating standard organizations, it is also the Processes” explore standards audit and certification standards information. This common language has been responsibility of each standard organization to inform the procedures, labelling policies, standard-setting developed in collaboration with over 100 organizations, team when changes are made to the standards, so that organization governance and stakeholder engagement. and has been revised annually to accommodate a appropriate corrections can be made in the database. “Standard Requirements” focus on the actual sustainability growing number of sectors, and specific sustainability requirements embedded in standard documents or requirements. By providing this set of reference points, 6 company codes of conduct. These requirements are the database facilitates mutual recognition of voluntary categorised in five main sustainability dimensions, standard language.

5 INFORMATION COLLECTED ON VOLUNTARY STANDARDS, CODES OF CONDUCT AND AUDIT PROTOCOLS FOLLOWS STRICT DATA ENTRY PROTOCOLS AND QUALITY CONTROL PROCEDURES.

The T4SD TEAM LOADS THE INFORMATION into the database using official documents provided by the standard organization. The data entry takes place through an online Data Entry Tool – DET – which facilitates the entry and further review 1 of standards information. An INDEPENDENT EXPERT knowledgable on the standard initiative completes the QUALITY CONTROL review of the information entered by the T4SD team. 2 The STANDARD ORGANIZATION REVIEWS THE INFORMATION entered by the T4SD team and reviewed by the independent expert. The review takes place through the DET, which enables the T4SD team track and review the suggested changes made 3 by the standard organization. The SUGGESTED CHANGES made by the standard organization are REVIEWED AND DISCUSSED with the T4SD team and 4 any changes made by the standard organization need to be supplemented with evidence taken from their official documents.

ONCE INFORMATION has been APPROVED by both parties, the information is DISPLAYED ON STANDARDS MAP. 5 Data is CONTINUOUSLY UPDATED with a full review taking place annually. Changes can be made throughout the year in case standard organizations make any changes to their standards or need to update any information in the system. 6

6 STANDARDS MAP (www.standardsmap.org) Shedding light on standards initiatives by making them more transparent Standards Map offers comprehensive, verified and Learn more about standards Standards Map helps its users: transparent information on standards, covering issues such as environmental protection; work and labour rights; Explore over 170 standards in a user-friendly and • Engage in sustainable production and trade; quality and food safety; and ethics. It comprises four interactive web environment. Review detailed information • Review and analyse various standards’ requirements distinct modules to help users identify relevant standards about standards: key features and requirements pertaining and processes; for their situation with practical hands-on comparisons, to the environment; work and labour rights; economic • Learn about the potential costs and benefits linked to analyses and self-assessment of ther performance against development; quality management; and business ethics. certification; standards’ requirements. • Access step-by-step guidance on how to comply with standards’ requirements; Assess performance against any standard Standards Map strengthens the capacity of producers, • Evaluate additional efforts necessary to be in exporters, traders, policy makers, buyers and retailers Self-assess your organization’s performance against compliance; to participate in more sustainable production and global the requirements set by any standard applicable to • Generate self-assessment diagnostic reports and trade. your context. The assessment takes form of an online monitor progress over time. questionnaire. At the end of the assessment, a diagnostic • An online interactive and user-friendly platform to report charts your ‘Roadmap to Sustainable Trade’. identify, compare and assess standards and best The report provides a detailed analysis of areas for practices improvement and can be shared directly online with your • Comprehensive, impartial and verified information trading partners, certification bodies or other interested • A self-assessment module to evaluate compliance parties. against any set of standards • Free access - as part of ITC’s Global Public Goods policy

7 STANDARDS MAP YOUR ROADMAP TO SUSTAINABLE TRADE

Standards Map users are located in 192 countries 20 Countries TOP with the highest individual users

1 Peru 10.08 % 11 Brazil 2.70 % 2 United States 7.57 % 12 France 2.13 % 3 Mexico 5.15 % 13 Spain 1.75 % 4 Colombia 5.11 % 14 Ecuador 1.71 % 5 Germany 4.88% 15 Egypt 1.70 % 6 Netherlands 4.52 % 16 Vietnam 1.48% 7 Switzerland 4.10 % 17 Canada 1.46 % 8 Turkey 3.91 % 18 China 1.44% 9 United Kingdom 3.62 % 19 Belgium 1.22 % 10 India 2.93 % 20 Iran 1.19 %

Source: Standards Map Google Analytics, accessed April 2015

April 2015 + 100’000 Users* July 2014 since the new version was January 2015 launched in July 2013 February 2013 January 2014

* Visitors to Standards Map who accessed the website at least one time. Users accesing the website multiple times would still be counted as one visit. 8 SUSTAINABILITY MARKETPLACE Connecting actors along sustainable supply chains

Identify, review and Assess sustainability Develop Sustainability compare standards commitment Roadmap

First, companies, producers and organiza- The assessment takes the form of an online As such, following the completion of the These diagnostic reports may be shared directly on- tions may identify and review and compare questionnaire and may be taken against assessment, a diagnostic report charts the line with the business’ partners, certification bodies sustainability standards applicable to their multiple standards at the same time. This as- users’ ‘Roadmap to Sustainable Trade’ by or other interested parties. It is up to users to decide own business or interest. Users can then sessment by no means replaces an actual providing a detailed analysis of areas where whether or not their results can be made public or compare side-by-side the detailed require- audit, but rather aims to inform businesses additional commitments would need to be not. The self-assessment reports are stored in the ments and processes of these initiatives in about their current level of commitment implemented. users’ Standards Map account and may be ac- graph, table and text formate. Users may against requirements set forth by standards cessed, re-taken and made public or private at any then self-assess themselves against the initiatives, identify possible gaps, and devel- time. standards using Standards Map’s Self-As- op a progressive plan of action to remediate sessment module. those gaps.

9 SUSTAINABILITY MARKETPLACE CONNECTING ACTORS ALONG SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAINS

Identify relevant My Account Review Company Customized Report businesses Report

These diagnostic reports may be shared directly on- The Sustainability Marketplace will provide Buyers will be able to identify and filter the Just as with Standards Map, customized line with the business’ partners, certification bodies transparency regarding business sustain- reports based on company name, the prod- versions will be built enabling individual or other interested parties. It is up to users to decide ability commitment, and enable small busi- ucts and services of the business, its geo- standard initiatives or businesses to review whether or not their results can be made public or nesses to link up to traders and international graphic location and countries where the Diagnostic Reports based on their respec- not. The self-assessment reports are stored in the buyers. The demand side of the supply chain business may export, as well as additional tive standards or codes of conduct. Addi- users’ Standards Map account and may be ac- will be able to identify and contact specific sustainability features such as the standards tional features enabling data aggregation cessed, re-taken and made public or private at any businesses based on their diagnostic report included as part of the assessment, or those will also be developed, enabling deep analy- time. profile. the producer is already certified against. sis of business compliance and improve- ments over time.

10 SUSTAINABILITYXCHANGE (www.sustainabilityxchange.info) Promoting information sharing through supply chain community

SustainabilityXchange: a new community for improving sustainable production practices As our knowledge of sustainable practices in agriculture Managed by T4SD, and implemented with a range of dramatically increases, the number of tools and strategies partners as a joint initiative, SustainabilityXchange was for promoting rural development and trade in sustainably built to fill an important need for knowledge-pooling sourced commodities is also growing. In order to improve on sustainable production and trade in the fields of or maintain market access, producer organizations and agriculture, aquaculture and forestry, with a broader goal of agribusinesses need to comply with several sustainability contributing towards upscaling of voluntary sustainability and quality standards. Moreover, they need to develop standards and a greener economy. The concept behind skills to set up suitable organizational structures and this online platform centres around its community-owned, efficiently manage their operations in the context of these interactive, and wide-ranging character: it allows everyone standards’ requirements. However, many lack access to involved in sustainable trade around the globe to pool and know-how, tools, and services that allow them to engage in exchange information, resources and experiences. sustainable production and trade.

One-stop-shop approach to access to relevant knowledge for all

SustainabilityXchange aims to be a one-stop-shop for providers of capacity building services, who will find in trainings, and provide advisory and information services. facilitating interaction among supply chain actors and SustainabilityXchange a resource featuring high-quality technical assistance providers. Its goal is to help improve capacity building materials and reliable service providers, Users are thus able to get access to: performance and help increase participation of agricultural around the globe. • Relevant documentation (700+ resources in the Library) producers from developing countries and emerging • Experts, service providers and organizations (100+ markets in certified sustainable trade; yet, small-scale SustainabilityXchange centralizes existing knowledge and profiles in the Directory) producers might not be able to access and benefit from the available expertize on sustainable agricultural production • Exchange of experiences (Community Forum with platform directly. and trade, both generic and standard-specific, and makes moderated discussions) it available to everyone through five easily accessible • Capacity development ( 200+ in the Events Calendar) It therefore empowers larger producer organizations, and inter-connected services. Specifically, it provides all • The latest news in the field (2’000+ news sources) trade promotion organizations, consultants, NGOs, and information required to local service providers to carry out

SustainabilityXchange is powered by: Hivos, the Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH), the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), 4C Association and UTZ Certified. T4SD developed the platform in very close collaboration with Fair and Sustainable Advisory Services (FSAS), Fair Access to Quality (FAQ), and Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation. Join our growing community! Register, create your profile, share, or contact us: www.sustainabilityxchange.info 11 SustainabilityXchange YOUR COMMUNITY IN SUSTAINABLE TRADE

100+ EXPERT PROFILES REPRESENTING OVER 40 ORGANIZATIONS WORKING IN THE SUSTAINABILITY SECTOR… ... AND GROWING EVERY DAY

… AND AN OPEN FORUM TO USE FOR ADDITIONAL ... AND GROWING EVERY DAY Easy-to-search profiles of experts and service VISIBILITY OF SUSTAINABILITY-RELATED EVENTS providers with specific skillsets and expertize + 700 MATERIALS FROM in the field of sustainable agriculture and trade, DOZENS OF NEW RELEVANT both individuals and organizations. EVENTS MORE THAN 60 RESOURCES… EACH MONTH…

Guidelines, training materials, guides, Useful trainings, workshops, seminars and training hand-outs, and research on quality conferences around the world – to be searched management systems, specific sustainability WHAT ARE YOU and shared. initiatives, or general good practices. LOOKING FOR?

Two-way communication between the users of Carefully curated latest news on issues of the platform: practitioners from various regions relevance to everyone working in sustainable and backgrounds can ask questions and agriculture , aquaculture, foretry and trade directly share know-how, through moderated or spontaneous e-discussions. 2’000 NEWS SOURCES, NEWS UPDATED EVERY DAY THREE TO FOUR MODERATED E-DISCUSSIONS EACH YEAR… …AND AN OPEN FORUM TO USE FOR ISSUE-SPECIFIC COMMUNITY-OF PRACTICE DISCUSSIONS 12 CAPACITY BUILDING & RESEARCH Empowering stakeholders to engage in sustainable production and trade

E-LEARNING RESEARCH In an effort to enhance the knowledge of our users on The research activities conducted to date by the team sustainability initiatives and how to use the Standards Map include the development of a stock of knowledge on website, T4SD has developed a free online course. To date, voluntary standards; contributions to ITC publications; the first five lectures of the course have been deployed the provision of impact, market and price data to ITC online: beneficiaries; and T4SD participation in practitioner and academic debate. • Lecture 1: What are standards ? • Lecture 2: The world of standards – which The most notable practitioner-geared contribution was the standards are relevant to international trade ? publication of the ‘Sustainable Sourcing of Agricultural Raw • Lecture 3: Voluntary sustainability standards Materials – a practitioner’s guide’ which is the world’s first • Lecture 4: How does certification work ? The key steps practitioner’s guide to sustainable sourcing of agricultural to getting certified raw materials and is the result of a joint effort by seven • Lecture 5: The benefits and costs of sustainability global organizations, including the International Trade standards for your business Centre (ITC).

Another set of lectures will soon be developed to take the The guide is an open-source innovation tool that captures, user through the various Standards Map functionalities and in a single document, best practices and experiences from global corporations within a strategic, business logic- TRAINING IN THE FIELD the Compare and Self-Assessment modules. focused framework. It empowers managers by providing a A joint programme with Swisscontact, begun in March user-friendly step-by step roadmap to building and rolling 2015, is empowering cocoa producers in Colombia on out sustainable agriculture sourcing strategies effectively. sustainability issues required by certifications such as Fairtrade, UTZ and Rainforest Alliance. Producers will be The T4SD team also published research on voluntary able to perform self-assessments to get a first diagnostic standards including a systematic literature review to of areas to improve before starting an official certification investigate the following central issues: process. • The Impacts of Private Standards on Global Value The self-assessment of the cocoa farmers - and of the Chains cocoa organizations – against the “Basic Criteria for a • The Impacts of Private Standards on Producers in Sustainable Cocoa” can be done automatically online in Developing Countries a customized portal that is leveraging the ITC Standards • The Interplay of Public and Private Standards Map tool for cocoa sector: www.standardsmap.org/lbcs. • When do Private Standards Work? A unique feature of the self-assessment portal is that profiles of cocoa farmers or organizations can be automatically linked to the basic requirements of self-assessment for sustainable cocoa, LBCS, and any standard such as UTZ, Rainforest Alliance.

13 Facts & Figures from2009 to2015 worked in over 50 Countries T4SD traning events Team has completed 70+and50+webinars

“GOOD and QUALIFIED trainers” Cambodia Workshop, Phnom Penh, 2015 We have private sector 2000+ “WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE !” Trained Bangladesh Workshop, Dhaka, 2015 participants + “The Workshop is a TOP NEEDED in building 450 public sector SME's capacity to be independent with self from assessment on standard.” and Ms. Ung Vanna, WOT - Natural Khmer Moringa, Cambodia achieved 95% Trainees’ satisfaction

14 SPECIAL PROJECTS Customizing and leveraging Standards Map to fit the needs of specific actors NINE CUSTOMIZED PLATFORMS THAT LEVERAGE THE REPOSITORY OF STANDARDS INFORMATION AND IT PLATFORM, AND DELIVER A SOLUTION TO VARIOUS ACTORS ALONG GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAINS

SAI Platform and ITC have joined forces Delhaize Group and the ITC have joined The Business Social Compliance Initiative to develop an online tool for SAI’s Farmer forces to develop an online platform that (BSCI) is a business-driven initiative Self-Assessment (FSA) 2.0 that leverages leverages ITC’s Standards Map database for companies committed to improving ITC’s Standards Map website and offers a and offers a unique customized tool working conditions in factories and farms unique customized online platform for FSA. for Delhaize Group and its Operating worldwide. BSCI, in close collaboration Registered users have the possibility to review and compare Companies to review and assess sustainability standards with T4SD, has developed a customized online self- FSA against other certifications, run their self-assessment, against Delhaize Group standards and sustainability assessment which allows producers to assess their own monitor progress over time, save their reports into a private strategy. Access to the tool is restricted to Delhaize Group social performance against the BSCI requirements. account and decide to share their results or not. and its Operating Companies. www.standardsmap.org/fsa www.standardsmap.org/bsci

The Floriculture Sustainability Initiative T4SD and the Global Social Compliance The Sustainability Standards (FSI) unites frontrunners in the flowers Programme have joined forces to develop Comparison Tool (SSCT) is part of a and plants supply chain with the ambition a joint portal to enable a Quick-Scan larger project of the German government of having 90% of their cut flowers and pot analysis of sustainability standards, codes called Quality Check: Sustainability plants sustainably produced and traded by of conduct and companies’ audit protocols Standards to increase the transparency 2020. The FSI Equivalency tool is designed to quickly review against the GSCP Reference Codes, and to enable and comparability of standards in order to drive increased and compare the standards. It creates knowledge to build suppliers perform a self-assessment against both the social uptake. Data being used in the SSCT is directly sourced a more sustainable sector by allowing transparency and and environmental reference codes of GSCP. from the T4SD data repository. comparability throughout the supply chain. www.standardsmap.org/fsi www.standardsmap.org/gscp www.siegelklarheit.de

T4SD has developed, in collaboration with AIM-PROGRESS seeks to promote The online tool “Basic Criteria for a the Fiji Crop and Livestock Council and responsible sourcing while reducing the Sustainable Cocoa” (Lineamientos with support from the European Union, a duplication of supplier assessments. Basicos para un Cacao Sostenible tool for farmers, agricultural consultants, Members companies have responsible – LBCS) has been developed in processors and traders, exporters and sourcing programs which may include collaboration with the State Secretariat importers, trade associations and policy-makers to review the request for on-site assessments (audits) of suppliers: for Economic Affairs, SECO, and and analyse standards and regulations applicable to Fiji in order to reduce audit duplication and costs, companies the Swiss Foundation for International Development crops and livestock products. This tool leverages ITC’s - through the Mutual Recognition mechanism - recognise Cooperation, Swisscontact, in the framework of the Standards Map website and offers a customized tool for Fiji supplier audits completed on behalf of another company. programme “Promotion of Export and Production of crops and livestock products. Users have the possibility to ITC has joined forces with AIM-PROGRESS to develop a Fine and Aromatic Cocoa of Colombia - Coexca”. The review and compare Fiji standards and regulations against benchmarking tool which supports Mutual Recognition goal is to bring cocoa producers up to speed on issues other regional and international certifications. between companies. pertaining to sustainability: www.standardsmap.org/lbcs. www.standardsmap.org/fclc www.standardsmap.org/aimprogress www.standardsmap.org/lbcs

15 Presentation of the SAI and FSI platforms

SAI Platform enables its stakeholders to • Run their farm sustainability self- The Floriculture Sustainability Initiative contribute to the development of the “FSI assess their farm sustainability using the assessment and see results directly (FSI) unites over 25 international organi- Equivalency Tool”, which builds on the Standards Map Farm Self-Assessment online; zations in the floriculture sector and is T4SD global database and assesses sus- platform which allows users to: • Monitor progress over time; supported by the Sustainable Trade Ini- tainability standards that operate in the • Review and compare FSA against other • Save their reports into a private account tiative (IDH). From retail to grower, FSI floriculture sector against a set of interna- certifications, presented in an easy and and decide to share the results or not. covers the entire supply chain in the flo- tional references. visually attractive way; riculture sector: the joint ambition of the • Use filters to remove questions that are FSI members is to have 90% of their flow- not applicable to their farming situation ers and pot plants sustainably produced and to answer questions that are and traded by 2020. The role of ITC is to addressed by their country’s legislative requirements;

16 SPECIAL PROJECTS The Integrated Sustainable Agriculture Programme (ISAP) OPERATIONALIZE UNGC’S FOOD AND AGRICULTURE BUSINESS (FABS) PRINCIPLES AND INCREASE FARMERS’ ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND PROVIDE A PATH FROM BASIC LEGAL COMPLIANCE TO MORE DEMANDING STANDARDS

T4SD is working closely with UN Global Compact and food security through more sustainable agriculture. Built them for more exacting standards – voluntary, mandatory, other organizations to build the Integrated Sustainable on commitments made at the Rio+20 Summit in 2012, national or international – as their enterprise grows. Agricultural Programme (ISAP) platform. This platform they were developed over two years, through over 20 will be an entry point for smaller farmers and SME consultations globally with over 1,000 businesses and The ISAP application will be built on the foundations of the agribusinesses, including suppliers in larger chains, to other key stakeholders and offer a framework for principle- ITC Standards Map and will have as a core objective to: be recognised as participants in the global food system. based partnerships to advance sustainable agriculture. The ISAP will bridge the gap between governments and • Give small farmers and SMEs access to enabling businesses - enabling them together to contribute more Some of these several thousand actors figure critically technology and capacity building; effectively to achieving global food security. in global supply chains, the majority being core to the • Provide food and agriculture MNCs sufficiently broad resilience of the food sector in their own countries. As visibility in the lowest tiers of their value chains to The ISAP will be a template for self-declaration by any smaller actors typically cannot afford certification or are identify challenges, risks and opportunities; agribusiness – especially those family farmers and SMEs not incentivised to do so, the ISAP will bridge a crucial • Give policymakers granular information on local that anchor domestic production bases and the handling divide by registering the existence of smaller farmers and producers and contributors to enhance the resilience and processing of food, against the United Nations Food SMEs in the global food system and by acknowledging of domestic food sectors; and and Agriculture Business (FAB) Principles. The principles the rights and responsibilities that this position entails. • Organise and align existing food and agriculture were launched on 22 September 2014 and respond to Self-declaration is an important first step on any path to standards to reduce audit fatigue and code duplication calls for a common language and framework to achieve sustainability for smaller farmers and SMEs to prepare from both demand and supply sides. Core functionalities of the ISAP platform

Engage • Communicate ISAP’s vision, mission and Farmer/Grower expectations. Introduce the value proposition for participants • Enable Registration and gather profile information

Collect Data • Collect basic, and later more detailed, data on the Farmer/Grower’s operations • Tailored questions by Farmer/Grower – crop, geography or sector

Farmer Support and • Provide Farmer/Grower information about their performance against standards referenced in ISAP Solutions • Recommend leading practices and provide rich content to assist the Farmer/Grower

Analyse Compliance & • Review answers and evidence provided to discern compliance and gauge maturity Performance • Identify and summarise Farmer/Grower risk profile based on answers and attributes

Integration & • Execute processes that span system boundaries Business Services • Provide data exchange services to partners and authorized agents

17 THE INTEGRATED SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PROGRAMME

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The ISAP will be launched in September 2015 at the UN General Assembly. It will then be deployed in twenty countries over the next three years. The first pilot countries include - Brazil, Colombia, Denmark, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Spain, and Vietnam. National implementation programmes will be deployed in each of the target countries. 18 Donor Reflections

SECO is a proud and committed partner and sponsor of T4SD since the programme’s beginning in 2009. We are strongly convinced that voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) are an effective and powerful tool to strengthen sustainability along global supply chains. However, guidance and transparency on VSS are needed to help all actors in the supply chain, from farmers in the developing world to intermediate processors and traders to the ultimate buyers such as retailers and brands. Informed decisions need to be made given the context of increased complexity and proliferation of the VSS.

SECO feels that the T4SD Programme has very successfully met this demand for increased transparency and has become a sought-after tool for a variety of key stakeholders. Core to T4SD is its neutral position on VSS and its global public good nature, making it possible to impact a wide range MR. THIERRY BUCHS of actors in a positive way. Head of Trade Promotion Economic Cooperation T4SD has demonstrated a keen ability to continually develop their tools and partnerships to respond to the dynamic developments in the VSS area. For example, T4SD is now working to become the leading market data repository on VSS. SECO is very happy to continue this exciting journey and Development together with T4SD and we welcome more partners to join us! SECO

BMZ has supported the T4SD Programme since its inception in 2009 and provided feasibility and scoping support to the project as early as 2008. We are very pleased to support this key programme of ITC as it provides needed transparency on voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) while improving the decision-making abilities of a variety of users such as producers, consumers, public procurers and companies in developing and developed countries.

The programme is fully in-line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in terms of poverty reduction, food security, gender equality and the sustainable management of environmental resources. Further, T4SD’s innovative approach, the Standards Map enables producers - especially small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) - to increase their productivity, resulting in more income, overcoming market access and MR. HELMUT FISCHER better understanding the sustainability gaps in international supply chains. Head of Unit for The German government builds on T4SD data for its own consumer information website called “WWW.SIEGELKLARHEIT.DE”, which was launched Sustainability Standards in February 2015 with a current focus on textile standards. Additional standards of other product categories will follow till the end of 2015. We would BMZ like to encourage other countries to engage in similar types of projects, taking advantage of the data of standard systems contained in the T4SD database.

19 The EU values the work of the International Trade Centre’s Trade for Sustainable Development (T4SD) project as a contribution to the implementation of our trade and development policy. T4SD’s work on sustainability standards, notably the support provided to producers in the developing world, provides an important contribution to those wishing to move up the value chain and respond to the demands of European consumers by providing products that meet various sustainability and ethical guidelines.

By providing this information for free to producers, as well as tailored face-to-face support, T4SD supports the use of market incentives to drive the adoption of positive social and environmental production practices in the countries with which we trade.

This is consistent with the EU trade and development policy, reshaped by the 2012 Communication on “Trade, Growth and Development”, MR. MARC VANHEUKELEN which puts particular emphasis on the integration of sustainable development into the EU’s trade policy. This includes the recognition of the Director positive role of private-led sustainability schemes, such as fair and ethical trade, to foster inclusive growth and sustainable development in Directorate-General for Trade developing countries with which the EU trades. Through these, businesses of all sizes can play in promoting sustainable production, trade, European Commission and consumption patterns. The EU supports the uptake of fair and ethical trade by providing EU support to activities such as T4SD, which provides free information to consumers and to producers in developing countries on sustainability schemes and the requirements for products to be allowed to display the related logos. These schemes typically concerns labour conditions related to certain products or the environmental impact thereof. Being part of such schemes can be an effective way for producers to differentiate their product, have greater bargaining power over them and gain price premiums.

We take the view that the key benefit of private sustainability schemes lays the very fact that they are a market mechanism providing information on the sustainability of products, thereby allowing consumers to take action and make buying decisions according to their values and principles. This encourages businesses to adopt behaviours or adapt their production processes or sourcing in order to meet consumer expectations. It also allows for a fast and flexible reaction of consumers to new products entering the market.

Because of these strengths, the EU does not want to rank or regulate private-led sustainability schemes. We don’t want to take decisions on behalf of consumers or to slow the process down while reviewing a standard, or its evaluation and monitoring procedures. However, it is important to ensure that consumers can understand the criteria underlying each scheme, to be able to make these informed choices with the confidence that they are receiving accurate information. We therefore focus our energies on trying to improve the flow of information about sustainability standards and T4SD plays a key role in this regard.

20 For more information:

Email: [email protected] Telephone: +41 22 730 0399 YouTube: http://ow.ly/Md6FK Facebook: www.facebook.com/standardsmap Twitter: twitter.com/standardsmap Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/groups/ITC-Standards-Map-4202660 Internet: www.intracen.org/t4sd Postal Address: ITC, Palais des Nations, 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland