Abstract
Dutch policies have advocated sustainable commodity value chains, which have implications for the landscapes from which these commodities originate. This study examines governance and policy options for sustainability in terms of how ecosystem services are addressed in cocoa, soy, tropical timber and palm oil value chains with Dutch links. A range of policies addressing ecosystem services were identified, from market governance (certification, payments for ecosystem services) to multi-actor platforms (roundtables) and public governance (policies and regulations). An analysis of policy narratives and interviews identified if and how ecosystem services are addressed within value chains and policies; how the concept has been incorporated into value chain governance; and which governance options are available. The Dutch government was found to take a steering but indirect role in all the cases, primarily through supporting, financing, facilitating and partnering policies. Interventions mainly from end-of-chain stakeholders located in processing and consumption countries resulted in new market governance, notably voluntary sustainability standards. These have been successful in creating awareness of some ecosystem services and bringing stakeholders together. However, they have not fully addressed all ecosystem services or stakeholders, thus failing to increase the sustainability of value chains or of the landscapes of origin. We argue that chains sourced in tropical landscapes may be governed more effectively for sustainability if voluntary, market policy tools and governance arrangements have more integrated goals that take account of sourcing landscapes and impacts along the entire value chain. Given the international nature of these commodities. These findings have significance for debates on public-private approaches to value chain and landscape governance.
Highlights
Green economic growth requires embracing national and cross-boundary policy issues such as climate change, poverty and equity, trade and value chains
How have ecosystem services been positioned in Dutch policies from 2007 to 2014 to increase the sustainability of international value chains with links with to the Netherlands? Dutch policies referring to value chains and governance consistently lack a definition of ecosystem services and address ecosystem services mostly implicitly, as one element of a wider objective, often defined selectively by different policy instruments
Policymakers in the Netherlands together with private sector and societal organizations, have experimented with different governance arrangements to address the sustainability of international commodity value chains with strong Dutch links
Summary
Green economic growth requires embracing (and reconciling) national and cross-boundary policy issues such as climate change, poverty and equity, trade and value chains. It has sought to increase the sustainability of international trade using a value chain approach, as part of a long-term transition of Dutch trade, development and environmental policy toward a green economic growth paradigm (Keijzers 2000; Elzen et al 2004). Sustainable ecosystem services imply that despite the services or products of an ecosystem being used, the integrity and proper functioning of its natural processes and components is not irreversibility impaired (De Groot et al 2002) This is a critical point as losses of global land-based ecosystem services have been valued at around € 50 billion annually (TEEB 2009). Integrating ecosystem service management in value chain governance assumedly results in different benefits for different stakeholders These include, first, private benefits for resource producers, by making businesses more viable—for instance through the commodification of ecosystem services. There are public benefits for people living in and nearby sourcing areas who are dependent upon an ecosystem’s products and services, by increasing the sustainability of Combining resources, actors
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