2024-08-26-联合国贸易发展委员-联合国贸易发展委员会-自愿可持续性标准和可持续发展尽职调查（英）_51页_3mb

Voluntary Sustainability Standards and Sustainable Development Due Diligence: The Evolving Landscape of Sustainable Trade

1. Key Findings on Due Diligence Developments

• Proliferation of Regulations: Mandatory due diligence regulations (e.g., EUDR, US Forced Labor Act, UK Environment Act) are rapidly increasing, targeting global value chains (GVCs) to address sustainability issues like deforestation, labor rights, and environmental degradation.
• Implications for Trade: These regulations may lead to trade diversion (exporters diverting to less regulated markets), trade segregation (companies excluding non-compliant products), and sourcing diversion (shifting to lower-risk suppliers), potentially harming vulnerable actors like smallholder farmers.
• Challenges for Developing Countries: Regulations lack harmonization, have short implementation timelines, and impose costs that may exclude developing economies. Country-risk benchmarking systems risk disproportionately affecting producers in developing countries.

2. Role of Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS)

• Synergies with Due Diligence: VSS can support due diligence by providing traceability tools, audit systems, grievance mechanisms, and compliance data. Examples include aligning with EUDR’s risk-assessment requirements through tools like Rainforest Alliance’s deforestation maps.
• Limitations and Adaptations: VSS face challenges such as integration into mandatory frameworks, audit conflicts of interest, and gaps in grievance systems. Many VSS are adapting to align with regulations like EUCSDDD to maintain market relevance.
• Market Implications: Regulations may consolidate VSS markets, favoring established standards, but could also spur innovation in tools like geolocation tracking.

3. Challenges and Lessons from Developing Countries

• Inequities: Due diligence and VSS often impose burdens on developing countries without sufficient support, exacerbating inequalities.
• Inclusion and Capacity: Effective implementation requires local stakeholder participation, financial and technical support, and harmonized policies to address developmental priorities.
• Trade-offs: Regulations may conflict with existing systems (e.g., national standards), and price premiums for VSS-certified goods could decline if compliance costs increase, threatening developmental impacts.

4. Way Forward

• Holistic Approach: Integrate voluntary (VSS) and mandatory instruments (due diligence) through a "smart mix" to balance effectiveness and inclusivity.
• International Cooperation: Enhance dialogue in multilateral forums like the UNFSS, promote South-South collaboration, and provide capacity-building to support implementation.
• Policy Recommendations:
  • Extend timelines for compliance to allow adaptation.
  • Avoid discriminatory practices, e.g., exempting smallholders where feasible.
  • Ensure grievance mechanisms are accessible and effective, especially in contexts with weak state actors.
  • Foster innovation in auditing and traceability to lower compliance costs.

5. Concluding Notes

Due diligence and VSS represent critical tools for sustainable trade governance, but their implementation must address challenges in equity, capacity, and harmonization. A collaborative approach involving governments, civil society, and private actors is essential to achieve sustainable development goals without excluding vulnerable groups.