Risk management is an important contributor to the effectiveness of sustainability systems, especially as global supply chains become increasingly complex. The ISEAL Assurance Code contains specific requirements around risk management and ISEAL members have been actively testing ‘risk-based’ assurance models in recent years, investing significant resources to understand the different types of risks, their magnitude, how to identify them, and what changes to make to prevent or mitigate adverse effects. Some organisations are in the process of completely changing their systems, putting risk management centre stage.