Committee on Sustainability Assessment

Name

Committee on Sustainability Assessment

Legal name

The Committee on Sustainability Assessment (COSA)

Website

https://thecosa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainability Assessment Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainability & ESG Consulting (BPAHACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

ESG/Sustainability Reporting & Disclosure Platforms (EUABAEAB), Sustainability & ESG Reporting (GRI/SASB/ISSB/CSRD) (EUAHAJAB), Supply Chain (Scope 3) Emissions & Supplier Engagement Platforms (EUABAEAE), Forest Certification, Compliance & Chain-of-Custody Support (AFAMAAAH)

Keywords

• Sustainability assessment
• Sustainability metrics
• Agricultural measurement
• Supply chain sustainability
• ESG measurement tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: COSA receives funding from international organizations and foundations including Gates Foundation, GIZ, and others to support research and development of sustainability measurement frameworks.
2. Professional Services and Consulting: COSA provides sustainability measurement consulting, indicator development, and advisory services to corporations, governments, and NGOs seeking to implement sustainability programs.
3. Partnership and Membership Programs: COSA collaborates with partners through co-development arrangements and provides tools and frameworks to organizations aligned with their sustainability mission.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

COSA provides science-based sustainability measurement tools, indicator frameworks, and consulting services for agricultural commodity supply chains. The organization offers a free library of field-tested sustainability indicators covering environmental, social, and economic dimensions, alongside proprietary platforms like the Sustainability Intelligence System and Agile Data approach. Services target corporations, governments, NGOs, and standards organizations seeking to measure sustainability impact, demonstrate ROI, and comply with regulations such as EUDR.

Product overview

The Committee on Sustainability Assessment (COSA) offers a suite of interconnected sustainability measurement products and tools. At its core is the COSA Indicator Library (Master List), a comprehensive library of field-tested social, environmental, and economic indicators. The Agile Data system provides technology-enabled data collection through multiple modalities (CATI, IVR, WhatsApp, mobile apps). Sustainability Intelligence serves as the overarching analytical framework, while Performance Monitoring and Decision-Wise Data Solutions deliver targeted monitoring capabilities. Sector-specific offerings include Tea Indicators and the Organic Cotton Sustainability Assessment Tool. The ecosystem is supported by specialized tools for Resilience measurement and Landscape-level analysis, all accessible through the Sustainability Unplugged content platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• COSA Indicator Library (Master List) A comprehensive library of sustainability indicators covering social, environmental, and economic dimensions that have been field-tested globally. Includes metrics for trading relationships, community development, living and working conditions, water, soil, biodiversity, climate change, producer livelihoods, and competitiveness.
• Agile Data An approach leveraging technological advances including Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI), Interactive Voice Response (IVR), WhatsApp-based surveys, and mobile apps to collect cost-effective, rapid, and accurate field data for decision-making in agriculture development projects and supply chains.
• Sustainability Intelligence A system designed for corporations, cooperatives, and organizations to rapidly learn, demonstrate evidence, and scale sustainability benefits through actionable insights and science-based measurement approaches.
• Tea Indicators Sector-specific sustainability indicators for the tea industry providing high-level diagnostic information on tea sustainability challenges, with metrics covering employment relationships, biodiversity, new technologies, infrastructure, and economic performance of tea producers.
• Organic Cotton Sustainability Assessment Tool (OC-SAT) An online tool developed with Textile Exchange that measures environmental, economic, and social aspects of organic cotton production, based on COSA and FAO frameworks.

Quantifiable outcome

• Each indicator is the product of years and thousands of field applications ensuring scientific validity
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• AidDatacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 October 2024AidData and COSA launched a groundbreaking one-year study to evaluate cost-efficiency of digital tools for EUDR compliance in coffee production, with focus on accuracy, unintended consequences for small-scale producers, and enhanced compliance practices. Supported by Gates Foundation.
• International Coffee Organization (ICO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOSA works with ICO on Coffee Public-Private Task Force and science-based approaches to costs and efficiencies in coffee-producing countries like Mexico and Rwanda.
• Conservation InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on innovative Landscape Measurement tools that blend big data streams (deforestation) with farm-level micro data to create holistic sustainability assessments.
• British Standards Institution (BSI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOSA and BSI partnered with Westrock Coffee Company on global supplier assurance framework for responsible sourcing.
• ISEAL AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISEAL Alliance supported the Coffee Data Standard collaboration with COSA, Global Coffee Platform, Rainforest Alliance, and Waterwatch Cooperative.
• Global Coffee PlatformcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Coffee Data Standard and various sustainability measurement initiatives in the coffee sector.
• Rainforest AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Coffee Data Standard collaboration for streamlining sustainability reporting across the coffee sector.
• Sustainable Food LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership on sustainability measurement research and initiatives.
• FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFramework alignment and collaboration on sustainability assessment methodologies including work with Textile Exchange.
• ICED (International Centre for Evaluation and Development)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICED is part of the ADAIM (Agile Data Approaches and Innovations in Monitoring) project team funded by Gates Foundation and implemented by COSA.
• GDI (Global Development Institute)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGDI is part of the ADAIM project team for developing and testing agile monitoring systems for agriculture development programs.
• Precision Development (PxD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured insights provider at Agile Data & Digital Public Infrastructure Summit 2026; collaboration on digital advisory services.
• Digital GreencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured insights provider at Agile Data Summit; collaboration on data-driven advisory services in complex environments.
• Mexico SAGARPAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMexico's Secretariat of Agriculture partnered with COSA to help target interventions effectively and get quick feedback from field during program rollout.
• Global Forum of Agricultural Research (GFAR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted 'Brace for Impact' webinar with COSA and Global Landscapes Forum on effective tools for understanding, managing and accelerating impact.
• Global Landscapes ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted 'Brace for Impact' webinar with COSA and GFAR on impact measurement in sustainability initiatives.
• GeoTraceabilitysecondaryTechnology or IntegrationAlliance agreement signed in 2015 to bring big data capabilities to sustainable agriculture through combined expertise.
• Textile ExchangecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFramework developed in line with COSA work for the Organic Cotton Sustainability Assessment Tool (OC-SAT).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• 3Keel Group: Sustainability advisory firm focused on agricultural supply chains and smallholder livelihoods, providing comparable consulting and measurement services to corporate and NGO buyers.
• Textile Exchange: Non-profit focused on sustainable materials, including the OC-SAT framework developed in line with COSA's work — a closely comparable indicator-and-framework organization for agricultural fiber sustainability.
• Fairtrade International: Global certification and standards organization for coffee, cocoa, tea, and other agricultural commodities, operating parallel sustainability-measurement and impact-assessment functions.
• Rainforest Alliance: Global sustainability certification body working across agricultural commodities including coffee, cocoa, and tea — a co-developer of the Coffee Data Standard with COSA and a direct comparator for agricultural sustainability measurement frameworks.
• Better Cotton Initiative: Largest cotton sustainability program; featured alongside COSA's Agile Data work for real-time farmer insights in India, making it a comparable sustainability-measurement-for-agricultural-commodities peer.
• Sustainable Food Laboratory: Multi-stakeholder initiative advancing sustainable food and agricultural supply chains; long-standing COSA partner with overlapping scope in agricultural sustainability measurement.
• Global Coffee Platform: Industry-led sustainability initiative for the coffee sector that co-developed the Coffee Data Standard with COSA and overlaps heavily in coffee sustainability metrics and reporting frameworks.
• ISEAL Alliance: Membership organization for sustainability standards bodies; partnered with COSA on the Coffee Data Standard and operates in the same sustainability-measurement-and-standards infrastructure space.

Broad incumbents

• Control Union Certifications: Global certification and sustainability services company active across coffee, cocoa, cotton, and other agricultural commodities — a broader incumbent in the same sustainability measurement and certification space.
• SCS Global Services: Large third-party certification, auditing, and standards body covering agricultural and sustainability claims; broader in scope than COSA but directly competes for sustainability measurement and assurance work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theCOSA_org
• Facebookfacebook.com/COSA.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/5194631

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Committee on Sustainability Assessment