Voluntary sustainability standards in international trade

Provides an introduction to Voluntary Sustainability Standards as instruments to make international trade more sustainable. The handbook describes what VSS are, how they have emerged and how they have evolved; explores how VSS work to achieve sustainability goals; and takes stock of the current literature and evidence on the effectiveness of VSS.

---

This handbook provides an introduction to Voluntary Sustainability Standards as instruments to make international trade more sustainable. Chapter 1 sets out to describe what VSS are, how they have emerged and how they have evolved. Chapter 2 delves deeper into how VSS work to achieve sustainability goals. Chapter 3 takes stock of the current literature and evidence on the effectiveness of VSS. Chapter 4 turns attention to the use of VSS by other trade-related policy instruments