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Most sustainability certifications tell you whether you passed. The Sustainability Standard™ tells you how you’re doing — and helps you get better.
The Sustainability Standard was built in the field — and it shows.
Developed in partnership with Sysco and built around the principles of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), The Sustainability Standard is one of the most comprehensive sustainable agriculture certifications available. It’s recognized by Walmart, Whole Foods, Kroger, and other major retailers — and it’s designed to do something most certifications don’t: reward continuous improvement, not just compliance.
What is the Sustainability Standard?
The Sustainability Standard is a sustainable agriculture certification developed by IPM Institute of North America’s Sustainable Food Group. Designed for the full supply chain — farm to facility — it gives growers a way to measure, document, and improve their sustainability practices, and gives buyers confidence that their suppliers are meeting meaningful, verified benchmarks.
What makes it different:
Comprehensive coverage: The Sustainability Standard addresses a broad range of environmental and social practices, with a particular focus on advanced Integrated Pest Management (IPM). It also covers soil health, water quality, nutrient and irrigation management, air quality, waste and recycling, energy conservation, worker welfare, and emergency management. This is one of the most thorough frameworks available, and it consistently delivers more than growers find elsewhere.
A scoring system that captures real performance: Unlike pass/fail certifications, The Sustainability Standard uses a detailed five-point scoring system that tracks progress over time — not just once every three years, but continuously. Certified operations can show buyers what they’re doing right, and where they’re improving.
Built to work within existing systems: Audits are designed to integrate with food safety audits already in place (such as PrimusGFS), reducing duplication, cost, and burden on participants.
Built for both sides of the supply chain: Growers get tools to tell their sustainability story. Buyers get tools to verify and track performance across their supplier base.
Real sustainability isn’t a checkbox. The Sustainability Standard is built for the work behind it.
From Farm to Buyer: What The Sustainability Standard Delivers
The Sustainability Standard offers a flexible certification for operations of any size. Individual certification is available for single farming operations or facilities. Group certification is available for facilities with internal or quality management systems that include multiple farms or suppliers, certifying that the entire network meets The Sustainability Standard.
For growers, producers, and packers/shippers, The Sustainability Standard offers:
- certification that documents your sustainability performance and communicates it to buyers;
- self-assessment tools to identify areas for improvement;
- the ability to combine your sustainability audit with an existing food safety audit;
- real-time performance tracking across farms and facilities; and
- evidence that preserves and expands market access — nationally and internationally.
For buyers and retailers, The Sustainability Standard offers:
- verified assurance that suppliers are meeting meaningful sustainable agriculture benchmarks;
- a credible, third-party-verified way to meet sustainable sourcing commitments;
- the ability to track, compare, and report on supplier performance across your supply chain; and
- continuous improvement tools to share with your supplier base.
The Sustainability Standard was developed with the people who use it and built for the supply chain that depends on it.
What to Expect: The Audit Process
Certification runs on a three-year cycle. An initial on-site audit is followed by desk audits in years one and two, with an on-site recertification audit at year three. Certification is typically issued within 45 days of a successful audit.
Audits are conducted by an approved third-party certification body — an independent auditing organization trained and authorized to assess operations against The Sustainability Standard.
Who is Recognizing the Sustainability Standard?
The Sustainability Standard is recognized by some of the largest food retailers and distributors in North America as a verified measure of responsible agricultural production. These retailers have released policies requiring fresh produce suppliers to adopt IPM practices as verified by third-party auditors — and each has included The Sustainability Standard on their list of accepted certifications.
- Walmart — Pollinator Health Position
- Sysco — Sustainable Agriculture Program
- Whole Foods Market — Pollinator Health Policy for Fresh Produce and Floral
- Giant Eagle — Commitment to Protect Pollinators
- Meijer
- Sprouts Farmers Market
Ready to Talk?
Whether you’re a grower looking to strengthen your market position or a buyer looking for verified sustainability performance across your supply chain, we’re here to help.
The Sustainability Standard was developed in partnership with Sysco and built with the agricultural expertise of the IPM Institute of North America.
If you’re a grower or producer ready to pursue certification, your first step is contacting an approved certification body to schedule your audit. See our list of approved certification bodies to get started.
If you’re a buyer looking to build The Sustainability Standard into your sourcing program, or a grower with questions about whether The Sustainability Standard is right for your operation, contact us.
The Sustainability Standard is a certification that works as hard as the people using it.
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