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How our services support Standard Setting organisations
Developments of standards
We don’t just work to create sustainable initiatives, we also set the industry standards to which these initiatives must adhere. Our analysts focus on every detail that goes into the development of a standard – from setting up pilots and audits, to creating the digital home for the standard – its website, and the marketing and stakeholder communications required to bring it to life.
Development of assurance schemes
We create comprehensive assurance programmes from the ground up – ensuring compliance, fostering transparency and promoting continuous improvement. This includes developing assurance manuals, establishing grievance mechanisms and ratings systems, and training of auditors and assessment bodies.
Secretariat services
The TDi team ensures the smooth day to day running of industry initiatives and assurance schemes, acting as the Project Management Office and providing secretariat services, including:
- Sitting on and/or chairing the Secretariat for multi-stakeholder initiatives
- Coordinating meetings, managing documentation, on-boarding new members
- Managing and providing communications support, including social media, websites, press releases, and crisis communications
Find out more about TDi’s secretariat role for the:
Mapping of regulations and standards
The TDi team carries out regulation and standard mapping, checking for cross-equivalence and benchmarking your standard against other industry standards using the TDi Integrated Compliance Assurance Tool (ICAT).
Development of platforms and websites
TDi’s expert digital team develops and maintains bespoke online portals for standards and assurance programmes – providing practical solutions and making your vision a reality.
Auditor and assessor training and oversight
Alongside the development of industry standards, and auditing companies against them, our auditing experts are also regularly involved in the training of other external auditors. This end-to-end involvement in standards and initiatives means that TDi is ideally placed to help your business meet all of its responsible sourcing requirements.
Latest trends
Proliferation of standards
The ESG landscape has experienced a rapid expansion of standards across various industries, creating challenges for businesses navigating multiple compliance frameworks. This upsurge of requirements has led to efforts to create consolidated standards to streamline the numerous existing frameworks that companies currently navigate. Digital tools such as TDi’s Integrated Compliance Assurance Tool (ICAT) help companies map requirements across different standards, identify overlaps, and streamline reporting processes without compromising compliance or transparency objectives.
Renewable energy transition
The renewable energy sector continues to develop standardisation frameworks to address challenges in wind and solar industries. The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) has established initiatives aimed at creating global standards for responsible sourcing and procurement practices across wind turbine supply chains. In the solar sector, the Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) has implemented ESG and Traceability Standards to enhance supply chain transparency.
Systemic change
Industry transformation toward sustainable practices requires collaborative approaches. The multistakeholder initiatives managed by TDi, demonstrate how coordinated action across supply chain participants can address complex sustainability challenges that would be unmanageable for any single entity. This approach enables knowledge sharing, resource pooling and the development of standardised practices that benefit entire sectors.
Audit challenges
Inconsistent methodologies, limited auditor capacity, and difficulty accessing accurate data across complex global supply chains can impact the effectiveness and reliability of audits. Audit fatigue has arisen as suppliers face multiple assessments against various standards, often with overlapping requirements but different documentation protocols. This situation creates inefficiencies and diverts resources from actual improvement efforts.
Standard setters
Case studies
Meet the TDi experts involved in standard setting
Other services and tools supporting the automotive industry
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