Market Coverage

Over the last three decades, a growing number of voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) have emerged to enhance environmental conservation and improve the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers across different sectors, including agriculture, forestry, mining and fisheries. 

There are now over 400 VSSs operating across the planet. These include Organic Certification, Fairtrade International and Forest Stewardship Council to name a few.

VSSs are guidelines for producing, selling and purchasing products in a sustainable manner. They provide manufacturers and retailers with information about the reliability of and safety conditions behind a product. They also provide consumers with information about the sustainability efforts taken for the production and manufacturing of these produces, with the aim of positively affecting communities, the environment and the economy. 

We examine the market performance of commodities that comply with voluntary sustainability standards to understand the forces and barriers influencing their potential expansion or contraction.