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From climate change impacts to price fluctuations, producing tea can be a volatile business. Here's how some of the world’s major tea-producing countries are making the industry more stable—and sustainable.
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The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been severe and far reaching. What has this meant for small-scale farmers in developing countries?
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This blog summarizes findings from IISD's Sustainable Commodities Marketplace Series research project.
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Some brands claim to be sustainable but not all of their products meet the same criteria and transparency gaps abound. How can the average consumer make the right decisions?
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IISD’s latest Global Market Report focuses on one of the world’s most controversial crops: palm oil.
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In celebration of World Biodiversity Day, we interviewed Vivek Voora, an associate with IISD working on the State of Sustainability Initiatives, to get his thoughts on how standards can impact biodiversity.
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Food security is an intersectional issue. It touches on income, poverty, access to resources, gender-based discrimination and health. With food security being critical to so many facets of a woman’s livelihoods, how can development organizations utilize voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) t...
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Ensuring certification reaps rewards: the case of a Rwandan coffee cooperative. Participating in certification programs and meeting sustainability standards can have valuable benefits for smallholder farmers and fulfil environmental and social objectives. But what happens when, despite the time a...
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The demand and supply of standard-compliant products has grown significantly over the last two decades, with over 400 voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) operating across the planet. How can VSS organizations contribute to policy-making on biodiversity protection?
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Voluntary sustainability standards have a strong potential for supporting efforts to protect biological diversity. But policy makers will have to expand their role beyond mere supporters and users of such initiatives to that of watchdogs and regulators if this potential is to be realized.