Driving Trust and Resilience in Global Supply Chains: A Conversation with Tamara Muruetagoiena, IFPA

We sat down with Tamara to discuss her vision for the industry solution and the SSCI’s recent move into environmental benchmarking and regenerative agriculture. 

What is your vision as you step into the role of the SSCI Co-Chair? 

My focus is on strengthening trust in our industry’s global supply chains. By providing clear, industry-aligned benchmarking for sustainability standards, we aim to support companies to source with confidence. 

This plays a huge role in helping supply chains remain resilient in a volatile market. 

Why is reducing ‘audit fatigue’ key for companies? 

Many of our member companies operate global supply chains that span continents and employ millions of people. Overlapping audits in labour rights and environmental protection drive unnecessary complexity and cost. By aligning industry standards, the SSCI helps leaders choose the right scheme that meets their needs. 

What do you see as the biggest opportunity for the SSCI in 2026?

Our greatest opportunity lies in connecting different sustainability pillars (social and environmental) to build long-term business resilience. We will continue to develop our environmental criteria in categories like ‘Manufacturing and Processing’, ‘Primary Production’ and ‘Forestry’; for members to support their ethical and sustainable practices. 

Last year, Florverde® Sustainable Flowers (FSF) became the first certification scheme to apply for benchmarking against the SSCI’s Environmental Benchmark Criteria – a milestone for us as more than 7,000 hectares in Colombia and Ecuador are certified under FSF. And this year, Fairtrade International entered the benchmarking process, under the primary production scope, for both social and environmental criteria.

In recent years there has been a shift within the consumer goods industry to adopt regenerative agricultural practices within supply chains. Does the SSCI have any plans to work in this space as part of the environmental benchmark?

A recent Climate Champions report notes that scaling regenerative agriculture is the fastest route to a nature-positive and resilient world. For companies, these practices are becoming essential to securing future supply chains and driving long-term value.

As part of strengthening the environmental benchmark and responding to market demands, the SSCI is in the process of developing a global framework on regenerative agriculture. The SSCI has always been a solution for the industry and shaped by the industry, so we are keen to gather a wide range of feedback on this framework to ensure it captures our members’ needs and helps them meet their sustainability commitments.

We hope to launch this global framework by June 2026 and I am excited to see how we deliver this solution for the consumer goods industry this year alongside my peer co-chairs Elles de Jonge, Manager Quality and Sustainability, European Marketing Distribution and Jessica Meisinger, Global Sustainability Lead, MSD Animal Health. 

By deepening our collaboration across the CGF Coalitions and Industry Solutions, we hope to ensure that the SSCI remains a practical tool for global impact.