Developing Azerbaijan’s First National Sustainability Standard: The Sustainable Practices Standard (SPS)

This session presents the Sustainable Practices Standard (SPS), the first national sustainability standard developed in Azerbaijan to support the practical implementation of sustainability across urban and regional contexts. The standard is being developed by the EkoSfera Social-Ecological Center as a nationally applicable framework focused on operational sustainability practices. SPS was created to address the gap between global sustainability frameworks and local implementation realities. While international standards provide important benchmarks, many local actors require accessible, context-sensitive tools that reflect national and local conditions. SPS responds to this need by assessing how sustainability is implemented in everyday operations within a specific place, rather than focusing on abstract commitments or sector-specific labels. The standard applies to a broad range of entities, including small and medium-sized businesses, restaurants and cafés, cultural institutions and museums, farms and agricultural enterprises, service providers, public and community spaces, as well as territories adjacent to protected natural areas. SPS is not limited to hotels or the tourism sector and is designed to support sustainability practices across multiple sectors. The session demonstrates how SPS functions as a capacity-building and transition tool, enabling organizations with different levels of resources to begin implementing sustainability practices and progressively improve performance. By embedding sustainability into daily operations and local contexts, the Sustainable Practices Standard contributes to sustainable urban and regional development and supports the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.