Resources
This page contains all resources referenced in the ISEAL Code, along with other Code formats, translations, and documents from Code updates.
These resources support the practical application of ISEAL Code requirements. For other ISEAL publications, such as technical resources on specific sustainability topics, visit our website or the ISEAL Platform.
Make the most of these resources by visiting the glossary, which defines key terms and concepts used in the ISEAL Code.
Advancing gender equality through sustainability systems: Toolkit and good practices
This toolkit compiles curated resources and practical case studies relevant to a sustainability systems role in advancing gender equality.
This is relevant to schemes that are looking to advance their thinking and action on gender equality. It is most relevant to how a scheme assesses gender-related trends during strategy development (1.2), and gender-responsive monitoring (5.2).
Aligning and Combining – What we’ve learned about metrics and data sharing
This report describes benefits and common challenges of aligning metrics and sharing data.
This is relevant to schemes seeking to work together to align metrics or share data. It is relevant to topics addressed throughout Section 4: Data and Information Management, but is especially relevant to steps schemes can take to access the data it needs (4.7).
An introduction to feasibility assessments
A high-level summary of what feasibility assessments are, how they can be used, and considerations to inform design and implementation.
This is relevant to how schemes assess the feasibility and auditability of standard requirements (6.8).
An Introductory Guide to Corporate Due Diligence and Sustainability Systems (Part 1)
The first of a two-part guide, this document describes what corporate due diligence is and the five-step framework for risk-based due diligence.
This is most relevant to how a scheme defines its role in supporting corporate due diligence (1.4).
An Introductory Guide to Corporate Due Diligence and Sustainability Systems (pt 2)
The second of a two-part guide, this document outlines the role(s) a sustainability system can play in supporting corporate due diligence.
This is most relevant to how a scheme defines its role in supporting corporate due diligence (1.4), but can also help your understanding of assessing risks of association (2.6).
Assurance Integrity Framework
Use this tool to assess your organisations capacity to understand and manage the integrity of its assurance programme (assurance integrity).
This is most relevant to how a scheme assesses risks to scheme integrity (2.5), but it is also relevant to various clauses within Section 7: Assurance, and Section 4: Data and information management.
Auditor competence working group summary
This resource describes strategies to identify and manage the threat of insufficient auditor competence.
This is relevant to how schemes manage threats to assurance integrity (2.5).
Building a Risk Management Plan
A step-by-step guide to developing a risk management plan, with examples relevant to managing threats to assurance integrity.
This is most relevant to how a scheme proactively manages threats to the integrity of its scheme (2.5).
Chain of custody models and definitions
Definitions and descriptions of different chain of custody models used in sustainability systems.
This is relevant to schemes that incorporate supply chain traceability (8.4).
Creating a Theory of Change
An overview of the basic concepts of a Theory of Change (ToC).
This is relevant to the development or improvement of a schemes strategy and intended impacts (1.1).
Data Maturity Rubric
Use this tool to assess your organisations capacity to use data to extract meaningful insights that drive decision-making (data maturity).
This is relevant to all aspects of organisational data use, but is especially relevant to managing data so it can be used effectively (4.1), and efforts to ensure there is relevant data available to provide insights about scheme performance (4.2).
Data quality and the ISEAL Code
An explanation of data quality requirements in the ISEAL Code, including which clauses are relevant, examples, and where to find other resources.
This is relevant to strategies to maintain data quality (4.3).
Data Quality Self-Paced Workbook
This workbook outlines skills relevant to data practitioners working within sustainability systems.
This is relevant to staff who are seeking to develop their data skills (2.4, 4.3).
Defining intended impacts and strategies and the ISEAL Code
An explanation of strategy development requirements in the ISEAL Code, including which clauses are relevant, examples, and where to find other resources.
This is relevant to strategy development (1.1).
Effective wage auditing to advance living wage action
An overview of challenges and solutions relevant to effective wage auditing.
This is relevant to assessment methodology for wage auditing (7.3).
Ensuring Global Consistency and Local Applicability
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Find out moreEnsuring Local Applicability through Standard-Setting
An overview of how a sustainability system can ensure their standard is relevant to the local contexts in which they are applied.
This is relevant to various aspects of standards development and maintenance (Section 6) and stakeholder engagement (Section 3), but is especially relevant to schemes that are considering or have developed adaptations of its standard (6.17).
Gender and the ISEAL Code
An explanation of requirements about gender-related challenges in the ISEAL Code, including which clauses are relevant, examples, and where to find other resources.
This is relevant to all content within the ISEAL Code relevant to gender.
Getting Started with Your Monitoring and Evaluation System
An overview of the key elements of a monitoring & evaluation system (or, MEL system).
This is relevant to those looking to develop or improve their approach to Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (5.1).
Group Assurance Guide
Considerations to help inform development or improvement of group assurance requirements.
This is relevant to schemes that allow for group assessments (7.10).
Guidance on the collection of polygon location data for sustainability systems
Guidance for sustainability systems looking to collect, or improve, polygon location data.
This is relevant to how schemes ensure they have access to relevant data (4.2).
Implementing the OECD Due Diligence Guidelines: Bonsucro’s experience in developing new policies and mechanisms
This case study describes how Bonsucro has adapted their organisational approach to observe and implement OECD guidelines and align with the UNGPs.
This is relevant to those interested in an example of assessing risks of association (2.6).
Information management for effective assurance
Best practice concepts and principles of good information management for assurance.
This is relevant to how a data and information management system can facilitate the analysis and use of data for assurance (4.1).
ISEAL Common Core Indicators
The ISEAL Common Core Indicators are a set of indicators commonly collected through monitoring & evaluation and assurance.
This is relevant to schemes that are looking to define common indicators to help improve consistency across ISEAL members. This could be part of how quality of MEL activities are maintained (4.3), but aligning on metrics goes above and beyond ISEAL Code requirements.
ISEAL Effective Grievance Mechanisms Self-Assessment Tool
Use this tool to assess the effectiveness of your grievance/complaints mechanisms against the eight effectiveness principles set out in the UNGPs.
This is most relevant to the design and implementation of a dispute resolution system (3.5, 3.6).
Learning Brief: Measurement and Analysis Approaches for Equitable Impact
Guidance on how sustainability systems can strengthen measurement and analysis approaches to embed equity more effectively into system design and implementation.
This is relevant to how schemes can assess whether there are differences in scheme effectiveness, reach, outcomes, and impacts by gender and/or other groupings of special relevance to the scheme (5.2).
Learning Brief: Monitoring Performance
Data management recommendations to better support monitoring, evaluation and learning activities.
This is relevant to ensuring the data and information management system can inform monitoring, evaluation & learning activities (4.1).
Learning module: Engaging Stakeholders
An overview of how to effectively engage and consult with stakeholders when revising a standard.
This is relevant to conducting public consultations during standards revision (6.5, 6.6), but it addresses topics that are relevant to stakeholder mapping and engagement within other scheme components too (Section 3).
Making credible living wage claims
This resource aims to help organisations make credible claims related to living wages.
This is relevant to those who make claims on living wages. It addresses topics relevant across the claims system (Section 8), but is especially relevant to the truthfulness of claims (8.2).
Managing Conflicts of Interest
A step-by-step guide on how to effectively manage conflicts of interest.
This addresses the different types of conflicts of interest that can arise, but is most relevant to policies to support good governance (2.2), and impartiality of assurance (7.15 - 7.18).
MEL quality and the ISEAL Code
An explanation of how the ISEAL Code addresses the quality of monitoring, evaluation and learning activities, including relevant clauses, examples, and where to find other resources.
This is relevant to strategies to manage the quality of monitoring, evaluation & learning activities (5.3).
Models of Assurance
An overview of the processes, actors, and methodologies that can be used within an assurance system.
This is relevant to all aspects of assurance, but is especially relevant to policies and procedures that need to be in place to ensure the assurance system is implemented consistently (7.2).
Outcome based standards – Understanding strategic and operational implications for standards systems
An overview of what an outcome based standard is, and how a sustainability system can move towards an outcome based standard.
This is relevant to those interested in or with outcome based standards (6.3, 6.16).
Performance metrics for key sustainability issues
This report summarises metrics that can be used to credibly measure and report on performance over time and across multiple spatial scale.
This is relevant to those interested in moving towards more data-driven outcome claims, and in considering the suitability of certain metrics (5.3).
Planning for High Quality Evaluations
Steps that can be taken to ensure monitoring, evaluation and learning findings are of high quality.
This is relevant to strategies to ensure MEL activities produce accurate, reliable, and relevant findings (5.3).
Remedying Human Rights Abuses in Supply Chains: The Role of Sustainability Standards
This learning report outlines how sustainability systems can play a role in remediation efforts for business related human rights harms.
This is relevant to how schemes decide their role in remediation (3.5, 3.7), which can also include whether remediation is relevant to a schemes role in supporting corporate due diligence (1.4).
Remote auditing good practices
Good practices for integrating remote auditing techniques into an assurance system.
This is relevant to schemes that use or are considering remote auditing practices within assurance (7.3). It also includes observations on risk-based approaches that may be helpful outside of a remote auditing context (7.4).
Risk management and the ISEAL Code
An explanation of risk management requirements in the ISEAL Code, including which clauses are relevant, examples, and where to find other resources.
This is relevant to strategies to manage threats to the integrity of a scheme (2.5).
Risk of association and the ISEAL Code
An explanation of requirements about risks of association in the ISEAL Code, including which clauses are relevant, examples, and where to find other resources.
This is relevant to strategies to assess risks of association (2.6).
Sampling in Assurance
An overview of how sampling can be used in assurance.
This is relevant to schemes that use sampling when assessing clients or assurance providers (7.5).
Setting gender responsive sustainability standards
This briefing note provides a collection of good practices to support sustainability systems to get started and progress on gender issues.
This is relevant to schemes that are looking to integrate gender into their standards and wider organisational strategy (1.1, 6.3). This goes above and beyond ISEAL Code requirements.
Setting Standards
A step-by-step guide and insights on how to develop and revise a standard.
This is relevant to all aspects of standards development and maintenance (Section 6). It is especially relevant to the policies and procedures intended to ensure the consistency and robustness of standards development (6.1).
Stakeholder Engagement in Developing your Monitoring and Evaluation System
An overview of how to build stakeholder engagement into development of the monitoring, evaluation & learning (MEL) system.
This is relevant to how schemes can actively engagement stakeholders in development of the MEL guiding framework (3.3), going above and beyond ISEAL Code requirements.
Structuring data sharing and licensing agreements
A description of core data concepts, such as consent and rights, that underpin the governance of data use and sharing.
This is relevant to how a scheme can establish data sharing agreements to ensure data is shared responsibly (4.7), with clearly defined data rights (4.5).
Sustainability Benchmarking Good Practice Guide
A good practice guide for developing and implementing benchmarks of voluntary sustainability systems.
This is most relevant to requirements about assessing the equivalence of standards and/or assurance (6.19, 7.11). This resource is also relevant to those interested in benchmarking schemes against the entirety of the ISEAL Code.
Sustainability Claims Good Practice Guide
This guide describes good practices for developing and managing policies or systems for controlling claims and labels relevant to a sustainability system.
This is relevant to all aspects of claims management, but is especially relevant to policies and procedures intended to ensure the claims system is implemented consistently (8.1).
Sustainability Claims Good Practice Guide
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Find out moreTechnical Briefing – How ASC is ensuring that data collection is fit for purpose
This case study describes how ASC ensured their data collection is fit for purpose.
This is relevant to those interested in an example of strategies to improve data collection (4.2).
Technical Briefing – How Better Cotton implemented a data governance programme
This case study describes how Better Cotton implemented a data governance programme.
This is relevant to those interested in an example of strategies to improve data governance (4.5).
Technical Briefing – How Bonsucro developed a data governance framework
This case study describes how Bonsucro developed a data governance framework.
This is relevant to those interested in an example of strategies to improve data governance (4.5).
The ISEAL Core metadata set
ISEAL Core is a set of structured terms and vocabularies that can be used as metadata to describe, share, and reuse different digital resources.
This is relevant to how schemes manage the quality and consistency of its data (4.3). It goes above and beyond requirements in the ISEAL Code.
Unlocking the value of your data: A practical guide for sustainability systems to turn data into actionable insights
A step-by-step guide on how to generate valuable and actionable insights from data.
This is relevant to all aspects of organisational data use, but is especially relevant to how a scheme gathers and maintains data and information so it can be used effectively (4.2).
Use of risk maps for child and forced labor in risk-based assurance processes
This case study describes how Rainforest Alliance tested prototypes of sectoral risk maps for child labour and forced labour in Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire, and Honduras.
This is relevant to those interested in an example of risk-based assurance (7.4).
Visit the Glossary
Head to our Glossary to browse and search through a list of similar technical terms and definitions used in the ISEAL Code.
Find out more