Impact

Our impact on people and the planet

Credible certification brings about real change

At GiSS, our work goes beyond meeting regulatory or voluntary standards. It empowers businesses and consumers to make responsible choices that protect the planet, promote fair working conditions and build transparent supply chains.

Creating impact through certification

Through robust requirements and independent auditing, our certification has a clear impact on climate protection, biodiversity conservation, and the circular economy. Together with our global stakeholders, we shape markets to deliver environmental, social, and economic benefits across industries.

Measuring progress with confidence

Our impact approach connects certification activities to practical outcomes, helping organizations improve supply chain transparency, responsible sourcing, circular material use, and sustainability performance with measurable evidence.

Theory of Change

From certification activities to measurable sustainability impact

Our Theory of Change acts as a framework for assessing the impact of our certification schemes. It describes the intended changes and the measurable outcomes of our system, and explains how our work contributes to them. Select any item in the graphic to see how it supports the wider impact pathway.

Output

Intermediate Outcome

Long-Term Outcome

Impact

Output

Certification standards for emissions calculations

Clear requirements help organizations measure greenhouse gas emissions consistently and prepare reliable evidence for reduction plans.

4Impact pathway stages
29Interactive change points
Monitoring & Evaluation System

A reliable system for tracking progress and learning from results

We use our Monitoring & Evaluation System to understand how our work creates impact. It helps us track activities, measure progress, and see whether we are achieving our goals, such as advancing the circular and bio-economy.

The system is built around a set of clear indicators that allow us to regularly report on our progress and learn from the results. It also acts as both an internal quality check and a transparent tool for our stakeholders. As GiSS grows, we continue to improve the M&E System to ensure it remains robust, reliable, and fit for the future.

Track activities Monitor certification, auditing, training and stakeholder engagement work across the system.
Measure outcomes Use indicators to understand progress toward circular, bio-economy, climate and supply chain goals.
Improve quality Apply learning to strengthen standards, verification systems and stakeholder transparency.