VSS Collaboration India
An initiative of Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) for Sustainability Standards organisations operating in India to be better informed about each other’s initiatives and explore opportunities to collaborate
Overview
Given the proliferation of Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS), producer organisations are often ill-informed or confused about their applicability. Experts worldwide have been calling for collaboration among VSS organisations. In keeping with the need for better interactions among VSS organizations, Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) kicked-off an initiative in January 2019 in Delhi by convening VSS organisations working in India to explore ‘mutual engagements and collaboration’. From CRB’s engagement and interactions with VSS organisations and various experts and actors, the need for collaboration among sustainability standards had been raised as an imperative.
Partnership with VSS Organisations in India
In order to improve awareness and effective uptake of VSS among Indian industry and other users, CRB has been partnering with various VSS in India. Some examples in recent times include
- Green Electronics Council (GEC) – A partnership project to develop a set of draft Criteria for end of life management of electronic waste in India, based on ground level research, analysis and discussions with key stakeholders.
- Rainforest Alliance A partnership to understand the triggers for market transformation towards sustainable palm oil in India.
- Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) – A partnership to engage Indian Industry leaders and champions, to support the process of transformation towards sustainable palm oil in India. It also involves public outreach and awareness raising.
- Responsible Mica Initiative (RMI) – A partnership for developing a multi-stakeholder platform to support development of sustainable and inclusive Mica supply chain in the State of Jharkhand in India.
VSS Collaboration India
Given the multiplicity of VSS in the market, the users are often confused about the applicability of VSS. Experts at the international level have been calling for collaboration among VSS. CRB has taken this initiative since Jan 2019 to conduct periodic discussions involving VSS organisations (once a quarter) for them to better acquaint with the experience (domain) of each other and identify areas of common interest and challenge. This initiative is referred to as ‘Walking Together with VSS in India’, and aims to help VSS organisations get better clarity about domains of expertise of each other and explore possible collaborative initiatives.
Objectives
The objective of the VSS Collaboration India initiative of CRB is to:
- Create better mutual understanding of domain knowledge/expertise among various VSS Organisations in India
- Explore opportunities for (online and offline) collaborative actions
- Share and learn from each others’ experiences/approaches of promoting uptake of VSS in India
India and Sustainability Standards Conference: Interaction between VSS Standards Setters & Indian Stakeholders
CRB Annual Sustainability Conference India and Sustainability Standards, (www.sustainabilitystandards.in) offers a platform for international standards setting organisations/professionals working on VSS and other aspects of Sustainable/Responsible Business to interact with Indian stakeholders, across various sectors/thematic areas. Over the 6 years of implementing the annual Conference, CRB has been able to facilitate a multi-stakeholder led discourse, leading to certain actions on the ground.
Events
Shaping sustainability systems to achieve sustainability goals online workshop
The consultation, jointly organised by the Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) and ISEAL Alliance, brought together representatives from leading voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) organisations—including Better Cotton Initiative, Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP), Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), Social Accountability International (SAI), Bonsucro, and Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) – to discuss the relevance, utility and impact of VSS organisations in supporting trade and economic development in India. The Government of India is reportedly developing a sustainability standards framework to support India’s export competitiveness in advanced economies.
CRB and ISEAL Alliance aim to contribute inputs from the sustainability standards community in India, to this policy process – hence this discussion, to initiate the process. The discussions highlighted how VSS strengthens export competitiveness, builds business resilience, supports SMEs and smallholder producers through inclusive ramp (continuous maturity) models, capacity building, and national interpretations, and generates measurable social and environmental outcomes across sectors. Participants emphasised that most VSS are already aligned with internationally recognised frameworks, such as the OECD Guidelines for MNEs, while being adapted to local contexts, thereby facilitating market access and advancing sustainable development.
The consultation also underscored the importance of policy coherence, regulatory recognition of credible VSS without compromising their independence, stronger digital traceability and data systems, and greater alignment with evolving global due diligence and sustainability requirements. The insights from the discussion will be consolidated into a note for submission to relevant policy stakeholders in India.
The 8th meeting of Voluntary Sustainable Standard Collaboration India was held on 9 February 2022 virtually. This meeting’s focus was on “VSS and Climate Change in India”. It was attended by prominent leaders from different industries who are working on sustainability and issues related to climate and climate change in India. The steps taken by the Indian Government to address the issue such as highlighting a pathway to reduce the use of fossil fuels, lower carbon intensity, and achieve net-zero emissions by 2070 were also discussed. The role of the VSS Collaboration India in supporting the VSS organisations to achieve India’s climate ambitions by 2070 was also highlighted.
CRB organized a session on, ‘Role of Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) in post COVID19 Recovery’, at its 8th India and Sustainability Standards Conference 2021. The session, co-hosted by QCI and VSS Collaboration India, draws lessons for India from global experiences of VSS Organisations’ contribution to SDGs. The session also discussed perspectives of VSS Organizations on synergies with policies and Government programmes/initiatives in India. View the recording here
CRB organised a meeting intending to curate a conversation with members of the VSS Collaboration India, to promote implementation and uptake of Business and Human rights related interventions among Indian businesses, with the following objectives:
- Understand the role of VSS in the Business & Human Rights (BHR) landscape and agenda in India
- Align work of VSS organisations with priorities of the National Action Plan for India
- Strengthen the role of VSS organisations in promoting capacity on BHR related interventions among businesses
The workshop focused on enhancing understanding of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), and how they align with the existing national frameworks and their relevance. Furthermore, it also explored ways and approaches in which VSS organisations can work together to pursue Business & Human Rights (BHR) outcomes pertaining to – policy, knowledge and capacity building.
CRB organised a meeting among its VSS working group to conceptualize the ‘VSS Collaboration India’ initiative and discuss its Goal/ Purpose, Structure (Governance, Constitution, Steering Committee, Working Groups), Activities (Annual Workplan, Responsibility Allocation, Coordination, Funding), and Roadmap (Theory of Change).
CRB organized a session on, ‘VSS contributions towards SDGs in India’, at its 7th India and Sustainability Standards Conference 2020. The session explored the contribution of Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) to SDGs and chalks out a roadmap for VSS organisations in strengthening their contribution to SDGs.
Catch the full conversation here.
CRB convened the fifth meeting of the VSS Collaboration India (a coalition of VSS organisations working in India) on July 2, 2020. The objective was to discuss and learn from the perspectives and experiences of the VSS organisations over the course of the pandemic and the lockdown.
The discussions covered the following:
- Understand impacts of COVID19 on business continuity and sustainable business practices in India
- Discuss COVID19’s impact on VSS organisations & mitigation measures – sharing of experiences
- To share perspectives and suggestions from VSS organisations to ‘Build Back (Forward) Better’
Read the full report.
A fourth meeting of the VSS coalition was organised on March 18, 2020 on the subject of ‘VSS Contribution towards SDGs in India’ with its broad objective to discuss and share their approaches, experiences and lessons in pursuing various SDGs in India. The meeting was attended by ten VSS organisations. A senior official from NITI Aayog was also present in this meeting. The representatives from different VSS organisations presented various initiatives undertaken by them in India and their alignment with specific SDGs. The participants unanimously recognised SDG17, partnerships and collaboration, as a key to achieving other sectoral/thematic SDGs.
Read the full report.
On 23 August, 2019 CRB organized the third meeting in New Delhi. The meeting was attended by eight different VSS organizations. The meeting was structured around the following agenda points:
- Introduction to an Online B2B Marketplace for Sustainable Certified Products (new initiative of CRB)
- An overview of the CRB 6th Annual Sustainability Conference, 20-22 November, 2019 and various sessions and opportunities for VSS and other organizations to engage/participate
- ISEAL Alliance’s Standards Credibility Principles Review
Read the full report.
The second meeting was held on May 27, 2019 in New Delhi and it focused on the following two issues: (i) Uptake of Sustainability Standards among SMEs and Smallholders – Current Challenges, Supporting Factors and Existing Good Practices (ii) Engagement on Policy issues with relevant Government Agencies – Who? What? How?
Some key areas of the discussion were:
- Uptake of certifications among SMEs
- Alignment with local context (National Interpretation of Standards)
- Reducing audits and inspections
- Creating the market – role of millennial consumers
Read the full report.
The inaugural meeting of CRB’s initiative, ‘Walking Together with VSS in India’ was held on 17th January 2019. Ten organisations participated in the meeting to discuss the opportunities to collaborate on areas of common interests and challenges.
Based on the discussions, the following areas/subjects of common interest emerged from the discussions:
- Sharing information about various Sustainability Standards among themselves
- Uptake of Sustainability Standards among SMEs (expansion and achieving scale)
- Supporting Private Sector companies (buyers) on Supply Chain Transparency and Sustainability
- Engagement on Policy issues with relevant organs of the government
- Mindset change and engagement with decision makers (business and government)
Read the full report.
Sustainable Palm Oil
Sustainability Ambassadors (2020-21)
Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) and Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) came together in mid-2018 through a partnership to examine the challenges/opportunities for uptake of sustainable palm oil in India and in addition to further consolidating activities already undertaken by the two organisations (2018-20), the following activities will be undertaken as part of the current partnership (2020-21):
- Engagement with Businesses for Commitment and Actions on Sustainable Palm Oil (Sustainability Ambassadors) :
Looking at the usage of palm oil by the FMCG sector, it is important to further intensify engagement with relevant businesses/organisations/industryassociations/aggregators along the supply chain/value chain.During the course of the project in 2020-21, CRB will identify and engage with organizations/ ambassadors from five constituencies, which are businesses, NGOs, Industry Associations, Banks and Financial Institutions and Public Sector Enterprises - Offering learning and sharing opportunities through the ‘Sustainable Palm Oil Coalition for India’ platform
(I-SPOC, www.indiaspoc.org). CRB as the secretariat for I-SPOC, in partnership with RSPO will undertake the following activities in 2020-21:- Membership drive:
CRB will work towards increasing the membership of I-SPOC - Enhancing Visibility:
To increase I-SPOC visibility, CRB will publish knowledge and outreach materials (articles, interviews, blog, vlog, news stories, etc.) through online portals and social media - External Financial Support:
CRB will identify opportunities, develop and submit proposals for funding or grant over the course of the project year - Administration & Network Management:
As the Secretariat, CRB will work towards effectively supporting activities of the coalition along with managing the proper functioning of the website
- Membership drive:
- Design and delivery of awareness and capacity building on the subject : It is seen that there is a lack of information (and reference material) amongst various stakeholders regarding sustainable palm oil – its advantages and uptake, especially in the context/perspective of India. Compounding this issue is the widespread misinformation around the use of palm oil.
As part of the project, CRB will design and develop two modules on sustainable palm oil for various stakeholders across the palm oil value chain.These modules will be created to generate awareness on sustainable palm oil, its production and consumption (value chain analysis), impact on the environment and other sustainable development goals (SDGs) – and its influence on demand and supply cycle - The seventh edition of CRB Annual Sustainability Conference (India and Sustainability Standards, www.sustainabilitystandards.in) was organized virtually from 28- 30 October 2020. RSPO co-hosted a session on Sustainable Palm Oil Dialogue for India on 29 October 2020. Watch the session here.
Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) continued its partnership with Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in India and thrived to promote uptake of certified sustainable palm oil across industries and building awareness across organisations. In addition to the few activities from 2018, the year 2019 saw the following activities being undertaken in continuation of this ongoing partnership. CRB and RSPOagreed to undertake these activities to bolster this partnership for achieving the above-mentioned goal.
In addition to further consolidating activities already being undertaken by the two organisations, the partnership between 2019-20 identified these additional activities:
- Engagement with Sustainability Ambassadors (industry and organisations)
The aim of these interactions were to understand the nature and volume of use of palm oil;awareness/understanding (including technical elements) of certified sustainable palm oil (specifically RSPO); understand challenges in uptake/use of palm oil and to identify possible pathways for businesses to initiate strategic thinking and movement - Media Engagement
Media plays a critical role in creating awareness and sensitizing businesses, consumers and other stakeholders about ‘businesses with purpose’ and promoting its uptake.Recognizing the importance of media, a webinar was organized on the theme “Businesseswith Purpose Future-Proofing Businesses in a Post COVID-19 World” by CRB, RSPO andWWF-India on 16th April 2020. The Webinar aimed to reflect on the critical need for sustainable growth, adoption of an inclusive, economic, social and environmental sustainability model for future-proofing businesses post the pandemic along with raise awareness about sustainable consumption and production (SDG12) in India and initiate the necessary call to action - Youth Fellowship for Sustainable Palm (Y4S)
CRB in consultation with RSPOdesigned and conceptualized a Youth Fellowship forSustainable Palm Oil (YfS).The objective of this programme rolled out in early 2020 has been to offer one of its kind opportunities to youth to take charge by engaging and shaping the sustainability/SDG agenda based on their own ideas and actions. The certificate fellowship pursues to engage youth specifically on SDG 12 (responsible production and consumption) and SDG 13 (climateaction). 4 candidates have been shortlisted as fellows. They are now being mentored by sustainability practitioners on theirideas/actions relating them specifically to SDG12 and SDG13 - Multi stakeholder Awareness and Dialogues RSPO was the lead partner for CRB’s 6th Annual Conference onSustainability – India Sustainability Standard 2019 which was organized in Delhi fromNovember 20-22, 2019. RSPO also led two sessions on the second day of the conference which were
- Market Transformation towards Sustainable Palm Oil in India, a plenary session comprising CEOs and COOs of 5 major FMCGs and Industries. Mr. Darrel Webber,Ex- CEO, RSPO was a panellist in this session
- Sustainable Palm Oil Dialogue in India which also convened I-SPOC ( http://www.indiaspoc.org/ ) members (SecondMembers Meeting)together with other industry stakeholders to highlight key activities under three thematic areas – government policy; supply chain and end consumer issues
Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) came together in mid-2018 through a partnership to examine the challenges/opportunities for uptake of sustainable palm oil in India and to raise the ante on the need and benefits from a transition towards the same. It was evident from the research undertaken earlier by CRB and others on the subject, that focusing on the FMCG sector (given its influence on the supply chain) could help create the demand for sustainable palm oil.
Over the course of the project, CRB focused on identifying ‘sustainability ambassadors’ among FMCG companies in India. This was done through continuous engagement with them to understand the challenges to/opportunities from better uptake of sustainable palm oil. Simultaneously, CRB and RSPO also worked on creating an ‘India story’ on sustainable palm oil by using social and traditional media to start enhancing the visibility and wider understanding on the subject.
By the end of the project timeline, CRB had managed to do the following :
- Created the ‘India story’ on Responsible shopping (awareness among consumers about products using certified sustainable palm oil)
- Enhanced visibility through Social Media to highlight the need/benefits from transition towards sustainable palm in India
- Development and dissemination of IEC related to the ‘India story’ highlighting Responsible shopping
- Initiated discussions, interactions and meetings with journalists from both Hindi and English press for engaging on the subject of sustainable palm oil
- Created Champions: Sustainability Ambassadors
Sustainability Ambassadors (2019-20)
Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) continued its partnership with Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in India and thrived to promote uptake of certified sustainable palm oil across industries and building awareness across organisations. In addition to the few activities from 2018, the year 2019 saw the following activities being undertaken in continuation of this ongoing partnership. CRB and RSPOagreed to undertake these activities to bolster this partnership for achieving the above-mentioned goal.
In addition to further consolidating activities already being undertaken by the two organisations, the partnership between 2019-20 identified these additional activities:
- Engagement with Sustainability Ambassadors (industry and organisations)
The aim of these interactions were to understand the nature and volume of use of palm oil;awareness/understanding (including technical elements) of certified sustainable palm oil (specifically RSPO); understand challenges in uptake/use of palm oil and to identify possible pathways for businesses to initiate strategic thinking and movement - Media Engagement
Media plays a critical role in creating awareness and sensitizing businesses, consumers and other stakeholders about ‘businesses with purpose’ and promoting its uptake.Recognizing the importance of media, a webinar was organized on the theme “Businesseswith Purpose Future-Proofing Businesses in a Post COVID-19 World” by CRB, RSPO andWWF-India on 16th April 2020. The Webinar aimed to reflect on the critical need for sustainable growth, adoption of an inclusive, economic, social and environmental sustainability model for future-proofing businesses post the pandemic along with raise awareness about sustainable consumption and production (SDG12) in India and initiate the necessary call to action - Youth Fellowship for Sustainable Palm (Y4S)
CRB in consultation with RSPOdesigned and conceptualized a Youth Fellowship forSustainable Palm Oil (YfS).The objective of this programme rolled out in early 2020 has been to offer one of its kind opportunities to youth to take charge by engaging and shaping the sustainability/SDG agenda based on their own ideas and actions. The certificate fellowship pursues to engage youth specifically on SDG 12 (responsible production and consumption) and SDG 13 (climateaction). 4 candidates have been shortlisted as fellows. They are now being mentored by sustainability practitioners on theirideas/actions relating them specifically to SDG12 and SDG13 - Multi stakeholder Awareness and Dialogues RSPO was the lead partner for CRB’s 6th Annual Conference onSustainability – India Sustainability Standard 2019 which was organized in Delhi fromNovember 20-22, 2019. RSPO also led two sessions on the second day of the conference which were
- Market Transformation towards Sustainable Palm Oil in India, a plenary session comprising CEOs and COOs of 5 major FMCGs and Industries. Mr. Darrel Webber,Ex- CEO, RSPO was a panellist in this session
- Sustainable Palm Oil Dialogue in India which also convened I-SPOC ( http://www.indiaspoc.org/ ) members (SecondMembers Meeting)together with other industry stakeholders to highlight key activities under three thematic areas – government policy; supply chain and end consumer issues
Sustainability Ambassadors (2018-19)
Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) came together in mid-2018 through a partnership to examine the challenges/opportunities for uptake of sustainable palm oil in India and to raise the ante on the need and benefits from a transition towards the same. It was evident from the research undertaken earlier by CRB and others on the subject, that focusing on the FMCG sector (given its influence on the supply chain) could help create the demand for sustainable palm oil.
Over the course of the project, CRB focused on identifying ‘sustainability ambassadors’ among FMCG companies in India. This was done through continuous engagement with them to understand the challenges to/opportunities from better uptake of sustainable palm oil. Simultaneously, CRB and RSPO also worked on creating an ‘India story’ on sustainable palm oil by using social and traditional media to start enhancing the visibility and wider understanding on the subject.
By the end of the project timeline, CRB had managed to do the following :
- Created the ‘India story’ on Responsible shopping (awareness among consumers about products using certified sustainable palm oil)
- Enhanced visibility through Social Media to highlight the need/benefits from transition towards sustainable palm in India
- Development and dissemination of IEC related to the ‘India story’ highlighting Responsible shopping
- Initiated discussions, interactions and meetings with journalists from both Hindi and English press for engaging on the subject of sustainable palm oil
- Created Champions: Sustainability Ambassadors
Sustainable Palm Oil Coalition for India (I-SPOC)
I-SPOC is a business led multi-stakeholder initiative created with the goal of promoting consumption, import and trade of sustainable palm oil and its derivatives along the supply chain. The Coalition through industry collaboration aims to create broader awareness on sustainability issues within industry and among consumers, facilitate multi sector industrial dialogue on sustainable palm oil uptake, build and grow sustainable trade partnerships through links with similar platforms and encourage engagement in policy dialogue for a supportive policy environment and regulation. The Coalition was conceived by four organizations; Centre for Responsible Business (CRB), World Wide Fund for Nature India (WWF-India), Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and Rainforest Alliance (RA) and was formally launched in September 2018.
Read more about the initiative here.
