Advancing Producer Engagement

The report argues that producers are often marginalized in the decision-making processes of voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs). It defines a spectrum of engagement—ranging from informative to empowering—and outlines core principles for 'good' engagement: transparency, inclusivity, support, influence, and responsiveness. Based on round table discussions with VSSSO representatives, the document identifies current practices such as inclusive governance and localized engagement, while highlighting barriers like limited tangible benefits for producers and reliance on intermediaries. It concludes with specific recommendations to move from consultation to collaboration, including co-designing innovations and aligning engagement with livelihood improvements.

• Producer engagement exists on a continuum of influence and agency, moving from informative (one-way dissemination) and consultative (collecting feedback) to collaborative (shared decision-making) and empowering (building producer capacity to lead and govern).
• VSSSOs prioritize producer engagement to ensure standards are grounded in local realities, particularly in the Global South, to support compliance and adoption, to embed producer voices in governance, and to enable producers to access certified markets.
• Current engagement practices employed by VSSSOs include structured platforms for dialogue, inclusive governance (where producers may comprise up to 50% of board members), localized engagement using regional staff, and non-compliance forums for safe, non-punitive dialogue.
• Significant barriers hinder the transition to empowering engagement, including the lack of tangible financial benefits for producers, the exclusion of marginalized voices (such as women and Indigenous producers), and a reliance on intermediaries like cooperatives that can distort producer voices.
• To strengthen engagement, the report recommends that VSSSOs co-design innovations and monitoring processes with producers rather than just using them for piloting, and align engagement activities with real livelihood improvements and practical incentives.

APA

Elder, S. (2025). Advancing Producer Engagement. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-09/advancing-producer-engagement.pdf

Chicago

Elder, Sara. Advancing Producer Engagement. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2025. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-09/advancing-producer-engagement.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Elder |first1=Sara |title=Advancing Producer Engagement |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=September 2025 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-09/advancing-producer-engagement.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{elder2025advancing, author = {Elder, Sara}, title = {{Advancing Producer Engagement}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2025}, month = sep, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-09/advancing-producer-engagement.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }