Voluntary sustainability standards can be powerful tools for incentivizing sustainable production practices. Most standards rely on stakeholder input to gain legitimacy and set levels of achievement for businesses at an appropriate level. Yet, the effects of stakeholder input are contentious. Whereas some see stakeholder input leading to more stringent standards, others believe stakeholder input dilutes standards and renders them toothless. I intervene into this debate through an analysis of the effects of stakeholder comments on eight different voluntary sustainability standards. Drawing on an original dataset of 7945 stakeholder comments submitted during public comment periods between 2012 and 2019, I answer three interrelated research questions. First, who comments on sustainability standards and are some groups better represented than others? Second, what types of input do stakeholders provide? Third, which stakeholder comments result in observable changes to the content of sustainability standards? I find that industry groups are over-represented compared to other stakeholder groups. I also find that comments intended to weaken the stringency of sustainability standards are more likely to be implemented than comments intended to strengthen their stringency or other types of comments. A key implication is that stakeholder input is more likely to weaken or maintain the status quo of sustainability standards than strengthen them.

自愿性可持续性标准可以成为激励可持续生产实践的有力工具。大多数标准依靠利益相关者的意见来获得合法性，并将企业的成就水平设定在适当的水平。然而，利益相关者意见的影响是有争议的。有些人认为利益相关者的意见会导致更严格的标准，而另一些人则认为利益相关者的意见会稀释标准并使它们失去作用。我通过分析利益相关者对八种不同的自愿可持续性标准的评论的影响来介入这场辩论。根据 2012 年至 2019 年公众意见征询期内提交的 7945 条利益相关者意见的原始数据集，我回答了三个相互关联的研究问题。第一的，谁对可持续性标准发表评论？某些群体是否比其他群体更有代表性？其次，利益相关者提供了哪些类型的投入？第三，哪些利益相关者的意见导致可持续标准内容发生明显变化？我发现与其他利益相关者群体相比，行业群体的代表人数过多。我还发现，旨在削弱可持续性标准严格性的评论比旨在加强其严格性的评论或其他类型的评论更有可能得到实施。一个关键的含义是，利益相关者的投入更有可能削弱或维持可持续性标准的现状，而不是加强它们。哪些利益相关者的意见会导致可持续性标准的内容发生明显变化？我发现与其他利益相关者群体相比，行业群体的代表人数过多。我还发现，旨在削弱可持续性标准严格性的评论比旨在加强其严格性的评论或其他类型的评论更有可能得到实施。一个关键的含义是，利益相关者的投入更有可能削弱或维持可持续性标准的现状，而不是加强它们。哪些利益相关者的意见会导致可持续性标准的内容发生明显变化？我发现与其他利益相关者群体相比，行业群体的代表人数过多。我还发现，旨在削弱可持续性标准严格性的评论比旨在加强其严格性的评论或其他类型的评论更有可能得到实施。一个关键的含义是，利益相关者的投入更有可能削弱或维持可持续性标准的现状，而不是加强它们。