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Articles

Vol. 60 No. 1 (2026): Prawo i Więź

The Convention on the Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) and the Sustainable Supply Chain: Towards Ethical and Social Standards

DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36128/ssat2a75
Submitted
8 December 2025
Published
19 February 2026 — Updated on 17 April 2026
Versions

Abstract

The Convention on the Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (1980) (CISG) has been praised as the greatest legislative achievement in the field of international private law due to its significant ratifications (currently by 98 States), and has also been cited and used widely in several judgments and arbitral awards. However, it has been 37 years since the CISG came into force, and the new century has witnessed more complex issues than the simple act of selling and buying. The question is whether the CISG continues to adapt to the emergence of new trends in the 21st century, especially as ethical and social problems related to human rights and environmental sustainability receive increasing attention. This at first sight seems to have no relevance to the area that CISG governs. Having said that, ethical and social standards can potentially affect several aspects of the sale contracts, particularly the conformity of goods regarding the social and ethical quality and purpose, and whether the CISG remedies regarding the violation of the contract due to the social and ethical standards are applicable. Given the increasing emphasis on sustainable global supply chains as a key trend in recent years, sales contracts in these chains that are governed by the CISG and that involve environmental, social, and human rights considerations throughout the production process require renewed scrutiny. In this context, assessing whether the CISG can be interpreted in light of social and ethical standards becomes increasingly important for re-evaluating its relevance and impact in this new era.

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