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RSB launches the Impact Claims Platform to drive sustainability beyond carbon

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RSB has officially launched the RSB Impact Claims Platform, an innovative initiative designed to support credible, science-based sustainability claims that go beyond carbon accounting. Unveiled at the RSB Innovations Meeting 2025 in Seattle, USA, the members-only platform marks a major step forward in enabling transparent and measurable impact tracking across soil health, biodiversity, water stewardship, and social well-being.

The RSB Impact Claims Platform provides a collaborative, pre-competitive space for RSB members to co-develop tools and methodologies that validate sustainability impacts at the ground level. Its purpose: to shift sustainability claims from aspirational narratives to science-backed, evidence-based progress.

“The RSB Impact Claims Platform is about giving our members the tools and credibility they need to demonstrate real sustainability – backed by evidence, not just ambition,” said Hannah Walker, RSB Deputy Executive Director.

The membership platform builds on RSB’s globally recognised sustainability framework – the RSB Principles & Criteria – and feeds directly into key market mechanisms like RSB’s Book & Claim System and its certification approach. Together, they create a unified foundation for making credible, traceable claims on positive sustainability impacts, especially in sectors where physical traceability or insetting is difficult.

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Focus and functionality

The platform’s work centres on five key impact themes:

  • Soil organic carbon
  • Soil health
  • Biodiversity
  • Water stewardship
  • Social impact

Within these focus areas, the platform will enable the development, testing, and validation of impact indicators and metrics, support policy and verification alignment, and facilitate real-world pilots in sourcing regions. These activities aim to create consistent, credible data that can be integrated into reporting frameworks and sustainability claims.

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Strategic priorities

The launch of the RSB Impact Claims Platform marks the beginning of a two-year roadmap with the following priorities:

  • Validate credible, measurable impact indicators
  • Align methodologies with policy and verification frameworks
  • Pilot solutions in real-world landscapes and supply chains
  • Support transparent knowledge-sharing in a pre-competitive environment
  • Enable consistent, science-based claims across sectors
  • Ensure alignment with global best practices

The platform will also serve as a space for learning, adaptation and continuous improvement — aligned with RSB’s multi-stakeholder governance model.

This work will help define how organisations communicate their contributions to ecosystem restoration, water access, community benefits, and more – ensuring sustainability claims are not only impactful, but also verifiable and trusted.

RSB is advancing a model for sustainability rooted in science, inclusivity and transparency to drive measurable, positive impacts beyond carbon. The Impact Claims Platform reflects this commitment by helping organisations define and deliver a broader vision of sustainability that addresses ecosystems, communities and climate – together.

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