TISS II Mid-Term Evaluation

• Forschungsstelle: SECO
• Projektnummer: 2025-WEHU233/SECO-063.514

Kurzbeschreibung (Englisch)

The evaluation finds that Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) are going through a period of significant uncertainty due to rapid regulatory changes at EU level. Overall, the relevance of VSS has become more contested, as new legislation increasingly requires companies to rely on mandatory due-diligence systems rather than voluntary standards alone. A key finding from interviews is that for compliance with regulations such as the CSDDD and EUDR, VSS are no longer considered sufficient on their own. As a result, many companies are shifting towards internally developed compliance systems or commercial service providers, often embedded in legal and risk management functions. Nevertheless, some firms continue to use VSS selectively for specific purposes within their supply chains. The evaluation concludes that while regulation has reduced the standalone role of VSS, their future relevance will depend on how well they adapt to and complement emerging regulatory requirements.

Zugehörige Dokumente

• WEHU 233 final report [PDF] 862 kB
• WEHU 233 Management Response [PDF] 437 kB