About the SCI

The Sustainable Commodity Initiative (SCI) is a joint initiative managed by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Dedicated to assisting the international community, the SCI aims to discover ways to ensure that sustainable practices are adopted into commodity production and trade to enhance social, environmental and economic welfare on a global scale.

The SCI works collaboratively with a diverse group of partner organizations and advisors with the aim to collectively contribute to a forward-looking agenda of policy and initiative development - strengthening the long term sustainability impact and reach of voluntary initiatives.

The SCI's mission is to improve the sustainability of international trade and global commodity markets. The specific objectives of the SCI are to:

• Improve stakeholder and policy decision making capacity through enhanced access to information.
• Improve return on investment ratios for voluntary initiatives through enhanced efficiencies and economies of scale.
• Improve the poverty reduction impacts of voluntary initiatives through enhanced participation of rural stakeholders in initiative development.
• Improve the environmental impacts of voluntary initiatives through market growth and continual improvements.

The core functions of the SCI in meeting these objectives are to conduct targeted research on market impacts, to facilitate collaboration and information sharing across existing initiatives, and to facilitate policy and initiative development.

Download the SCI Brochure and Roadmap below.