WWF supports voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) as part of its effort to reduce the negative impacts of commodity production and conserve the world’s biological diversity. The ISEAL Alliance strengthens VSS in bringing about measurable change through credible standards systems. VSS are known to have a positive impact in areas where certified entities operate but VSS can also influence the enabling environment. There is not yet a lot of evidence of these so-called systemic impacts of VSS on the enabling environment. This white paper aims to contribute to this evidence gap as well as provide a working definition for the concept of systemic impacts.