Review of Sustainability-related Standards in the Extractive Economy

In the last decade, the international community has increasingly recognized the central role of sustainable consumption and production in the implementation of sustainable development. As a result, the mining sector, like other primary commodity sectors, has seen a wide variety of multi-stakeholder, market-based supply chain initiatives arise. These are called voluntary sustainability initiatives (VSIs), and they aim to promote sustainable production practices, often at the global level. The rapid growth in the number of VSIs has been cause for concern as keeping track of the sheer volume and diversity of initiatives is challenging and costly. The review is comprehensive, revealing the different strengths (and often the different intended purposes) of VSIs and the challenge of finding a one-size-fits-all initiative.