Standards for Sustainability: UNIDO’s contribution

Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) can be a powerful tool to build more sustainable and inclusive economies and societies, and ultimately to reach the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets. Given the increased importance of VSS in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and in helping countries achieve the SDGs, UNIDO has published a brochure on the topic titled “Standards for Sustainability”. The brochure highlights UNIDO’s contribution to VSS through its membership to the United Nations Forum on Sustainability Standards (UNFSS) and through its knowledge sharing and awareness raising, partnerships, and technical cooperation activities.

Voluntary sustainability standards specify requirements that producers, traders, manufacturers, retailers or service providers may be asked to meet, relating to a wide range of sustainability metrics. VSS are also important in guiding buyers and producers to better social and environmental outcomes in supply chains, making VSS relevant for SDG pillars of people, planet and prosperity.

VSS support the integration of socially and environmentally responsible behaviour, particularly in the private sector, which is an important stakeholder for realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and related SDGs.

To learn more, check out the brochure here.

For further information contact Dorina Nati (D.Nati [at] unido.org (D[dot]Nati[at]unido[dot]org))