Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Export Potential to the European Union
Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) – Feasibility Study

This report assesses the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) agriculture and aquaculture export potential to the European Union through the utilization of Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS). The UN Forum on Sustainability Standards (UNFSS) describes VSS as ‘‘specifying requirements that producers, traders, manufacturers, retailers or service providers may be asked to meet, relating to a wide range of sustainability metrics, including respect for basic human rights, worker health and safety, the environmental impacts of production, community relations, land use planning, and others."

Standards such as these are expected to enhance export potentials from developing countries to developed ones, contributing to economic development with potential price premia, while simultaneously promoting sustainable development by safeguarding public health and safety, and ensuring consumer, environment, and social protection.