About the ISEAL Code

Learn about the ISEAL Code, including how it was developed, who can use it, and what its key components are. This page also contains further information on the scope of the ISEAL Code.

What is the ISEAL Code?

What is the ISEAL Code?

The ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Sustainability Systems ‘the ISEAL Code’ is a globally recognised framework for strengthening the effectiveness of sustainability systems (also known as voluntary sustainability standards or sustainability schemes).

The ISEAL Code is underpinned by the ISEAL Credibility Principles, which define the core values of credible and effective sustainability systems.

It was developed through a multi-stakeholder consultation process conducted with over 400 stakeholders from 205 organisations, across 48 countries. Learn more about the consultation process here.

Who can use the ISEAL Code?

Sustainability systems set sustainability performance levels or improvement pathways for businesses and other industry actors. The ISEAL Code defines what credible practice looks like for sustainability systems, setting requirements for good practice to be implemented.

Eligible sustainability systems who wish to adhere to these requirements can get assessed through our compliance programme in order to gain ISEAL Code Compliant status. To learn more about the programme and check the eligibility criteria, see here.

Other stakeholders, such as policymakers, can use the ISEAL Code to design and guide policy implementation by providing clear definitions and criteria for credible sustainability practices. Businesses can also use the ISEAL Code to identify credible sustainability tools and partners to help them minimise risk, meet regulatory requirements, and drive impact.

Who can use the ISEAL Code?

Navigating the ISEAL Code

The ISEAL Code takes an integrated approach to presenting the components of a credible sustainability system. It is structured around eight related functions: four core components and four supporting strategies, each presented in a separate section.

Click to view each section on the ISEAL Code:

    1. Strategy for enabling impact
    2. Scheme integrity, governance, and operations
    3. Stakeholder engagement
    4. Data and information management
    5. Scheme performance and continual improvement (monitoring, evaluation and learning)
    6. Standards development and maintenance
    7. Assurance
    8. Claims

 

The interactions and coordination between these core components and supporting strategies enables sustainability systems to achieve their defined sustainability outcomes and/or back up their controlled claims and communications. The illustration below outlines the dependencies and interactions between these eight related functions:

 

Scope of the ISEAL Code

The ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Sustainability Systems (‘the ISEAL Code‘) applies to the owner of any sustainability system or scheme (‘the scheme owner’) that:

Establishes sustainability-focused standards, performance levels, or performance pathways

Enables measurement, monitoring or verification of performance and progress against these requirements

Allows for claims or communications about the results

A scheme owner can operate multiple sustainability systems or schemes, each one differentiated by a distinct standard or set of performance measures. The ISEAL Code applies to all schemes managed by the scheme owner and to the full geographic and sectoral scope of these schemes.

The ISEAL Code supports scheme owners to develop and manage sustainability systems or schemes that deliver meaningful sustainability impacts and credible claims. The requirements in the ISEAL Code apply to all scheme components and strategies that contribute to or result in the scheme’s defined sustainability outcomes or that back up the scheme’s controlled claims and communications about the results. This includes the core components of a sustainability system: standard-setting; monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL); assurance; and claims. It can also include complementary strategies such as capacity building or company partnerships that are needed to deliver on the scheme’s intended sustainability outcomes and impacts.

It is the responsibility of the scheme owner to define the full range of strategies that fall within this scope, in addition to the core components. The scheme owner or its parent organisation may deliver other strategies that are not intended to deliver on the sustainability outcomes defined in a scheme. These strategies are not considered part of a sustainability system or scheme and are not included in the scope of this Code.

Disclaimer

ISEAL Alliance does not assume any responsibility towards any person or organisation choosing to rely on any aspect of the ISEAL Code or ISEAL’s evaluation of ISEAL Community Members’ schemes, except if and to the extent expressly agreed in writing by ISEAL.

Compliance and membership

For further information about ISEAL Code compliance and membership, see our website.

Find out more