ISEAL Training Course: Understanding Sustainability Systems

“...this course gave me a comprehensive overview of the essentials and provided knowledge about ISEAL and its work.” – Previous workshop participant

Sustainability systems are market-based tools designed to address the most pressing social and environmental challenges of our time. They define responsible practices, assess the implementation of these practices, and measure and communicate results. Sustainability systems are used in sectors worldwide to improve social and environmental performance.

This ISEAL training course, consisting of three interactive 2-hour sessions, will provide you with an understanding of the core elements of a sustainability system. By the end of the training course, you will:

• Understand what sustainability systems are, including the core elements of setting standards, assurance/verification, measuring change, making claims, and learning and improvement.
• Understand the basic processes that enable each core element to fulfil its role, including interdependencies.
• Understand the differences between types of sustainability systems and the basics of how and why to compare them.
• Learn the principles of credible practice that underpin sustainability systems (based on ISEAL Credibility Principles).
• Gain real world insights into the different approaches sustainability systems can take through examples and discussion.

Dates and times:

• Session 1: Tuesday 9 September, 14:00 – 16:00 (BST)
• Session 2: Tuesday 16 September, 14:00 – 16:00 (BST)
• Session 3: Tuesday 23 September, 14:00 - 16:00 (BST)

Trainers:

Lucy Redmore, Manager, Credibility & Innovations, ISEAL LinkedIn

Kimberly Lowe, Associate Manager, Membership and services, ISEAL LinkedIn

Anja Norwig, Associate Manager, Membership & Credibility, ISEAL LinkedIn

Training course content:

Session 1: The first session introduces the five core elements of a sustainability system that will be explored in each session. Participants will learn how each core element contributes to the credibility and effectiveness of a sustainability system. This session will also cover the first core element – standard setting – where through presentation, discussion and activities, participants will learn about the process of developing sustainability performance requirements.

Session 2: The first part of this session will introduce participants to how farms, factories, fisheries or other entities are assessed against defined sustainability performance requirements (assurance). The second part of the session then covers the ways sustainability systems measure social, environmental and economic impact over time (monitoring & evaluation, or M&E). It will also touch on cross-cutting themes such as good data management, reflecting on why this is so essential across a range of activities and processes within a sustainability system.

Session 3: The third and final session builds on the understanding gained in the previous sessions to support participants to recognise good communication practices. This includes managing sustainability claims and considering regulatory requirements. This session brings the discussion full circle to explore how sustainability systems best integrate learning to improve on all the core elements of a sustainability system learned throughout the course.

Who is the training course for?

This training is relevant to those seeking a better understanding of how sustainability systems operate, including:

· companies, NGO’s and policy makers: staff with sustainability interests, or those who engage with sustainability systems or integrate them into their sustainability strategies, policies, and practices.

· sustainability systems: new staff, those with new responsibilities, or those seeking to broaden their understanding of all core elements of a sustainability system.

Difficulty Level

Introductory: Participants should have a basic understanding of sustainability challenges but can be new to the topic of sustainability systems. Those with experience working in or with sustainability systems but who seek a higher level perspective on how different elements of a sustainability system work together will also benefit from this course.

Additional Information

All course participants will receive a certificate of attendance, as well as access to an extensive resource library and the opportunity to connect with course peers and the course trainers on the ISEAL Platform at least two weeks prior to the start of the course, and for one month after the end of the course.

ISEAL Community Members and organisations signed up to the ISEAL Insight subscription can get a discount on the training course, please contact training@isealalliance.org to access the promo codes.

** Current offer **

By participating in the training course your organisation can get a discount on the subscription package ISEAL Insight to continue accessing helpful resources, information and invitations to events*.

*(Offer is limited to organisations or individuals who are not currently signed up to ISEAL Insight, and the discounted price is for the first year only. A one-off administrative fee of £100 is charged upon sign up.)

Spaces are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment.

For more information, contact training@isealalliance.org.

Please review ISEAL's Training and Events Terms & Conditions before booking a workshop.