Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) have evolved into key transnational governance instruments to bind international markets to fundamental principles of sustainable development. As they continue to extend their influence in international markets scholars become increasingly interested in studying the efficacy of VSS. The research group TRANSSUSTAIN focuses on the efficacy of VSS in global coffee value chains. The main research question is to what extent VSS are capable of turning global coffee production into a more sustainable industry. The group is based at the University of Muenster and INCAE Business School in Costa Rica. The project is funded by the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia with a grant of ca. 1.4 Million Euros.