Sustainability Certification Schemes Research Articles

How do organizations in Chinese agriculture perceive sustainability certification schemes? An exploratory analysis

AbstractMotivationInitiatives to promote sustainable practices in agriculture in China have been little documented in the literature. Preliminary investigations suggested that the way agricultural certification schemes worked in China differed considerably from such schemes in Europe and the United States.PurposeWe investigated how sustainability certification schemes (SCSs) were perceived by farmers, processors, government staff, and other stakeholders in Chinese agriculture.We examine three types of certification: sustainability standards for agricultural exports; organic labelling for the domestic market; and certification of ecological practices.Methods and approachWe interviewed 16 stakeholders in 2013–2014 about their experiences and perceptions of certification. The interviews were transcribed and coded to derive themes and interpretations.FindingsCertification was rigorous for agricultural exports because importers, mainly in high‐income countries, demanded high standards—and were prepared to pay a premium for those standards. It was in the best interests of Chinese exporters to certify their produce. Some farming companies had specific farms that were run to make sure the standards were upheld, whereas their farms producing for the domestic market operated differently.Organic certification of produce was less systematic, with proliferation of labels used to try to convince domestic consumers that the food so labelled was safe. No single standard was used. Farmers were concerned that organic production was costly but that they would not get a price to reflect those costs. Most actors expected the state to set standards and police them.A public scheme intended as payment for environmental services also certified land managers; but the scheme as applied operated to pay farmers on low incomes often in marginal lands an income supplement—payments were not necessarily linked to environmental objectives.Policy implicationsIn China, the perception of stakeholders was that the central government should establish and monitor standards. Certification was not seen as something that private enterprise could or even should establish. This appreciation translated into dependence on central government to co‐ordinate and regulate all collective action for pursuing social and environmental sustainability, leaving little space for market‐led initiatives to flourish.

A Review of Trade-Offs in Low ILUC-Risk Certification for Biofuels—Towards an Integrated Assessment Framework

Indirect land use change (ILUC) is considered a significant challenge, resulting from an increasing demand for biomass and bioenergy. On a political level sustainability certification of biomass-derived products is discussed as one potential instrument to manage the risk of ILUC. However, extending existing schemes towards a credible and reliable certification approach to account for ILUC-risks is still an open challenge. To develop such a certification instrument, so-called “additionality practices” are gaining relevance. Such practices include measures that an individual producer can adopt to provide an amount of biomass in addition to the business-as-usual feedstock production. This applies in particular to the certification of low ILUC-risk biofuels through voluntary certification schemes recognised by the European Commission. To date, however, no studies have been conducted that examine how such schemes account for potential trade-offs that may arise from the use of additionality practices. In preparation of an integrated assessment framework for low ILUC-risk certification, this study presents a gap analysis that examines whether such trade-offs are considered already in existing sustainability certification schemes for biofuels. In this way, we have found trade-offs that are preferentially addressed by the schemes, e.g., biodiversity loss, on the one hand, and considerable gaps for certain trade-offs, e.g., resource depletion, on the other. In addition, we identified biomass cultivation on unused land as the most promising additionality practice. Most schemes already have certification instruments in place to verify the large number of trade-offs that could be identified as preferentially addressed for this additionality practice. Moreover, only a few new criteria and indicators need to be developed for the small number of gaps found for biomass cultivation on unused land. Finally, this paper recommends future work to verify the scientific evidence of existing certification instruments for the trade-offs addressed and to develop assessment approaches for the identified gaps.

Adoption of Sustainability Practices by Smallholders: Examining Social Structure as Determinants

Global palm oil consumption, registering at 77 million metric tons annually, presents a significant ecological challenge. The importance of fostering sustainable production is paramount. Yet, issues of deforestation and other unsustainable practices cast doubt over this objective. Sustainable certification schemes such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) aim to improve sustainable practices among stakeholders, including smallholders. A low achievement rate of only 30% certified smallholders suggests impediments beyond financial constraints. This study investigates the impact of social structure, specifically communication elements like social interaction ties and shared identity, on smallholders’ adoption of sustainable certification—a viewpoint aligned with innovation diffusion theory. Employing a quantitative design and a questionnaire survey, data was collected from 300 independent smallholders and analyzed via Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings illuminate that communication through social interaction ties and shared identity significantly influences the adoption of sustainable-certified schemes by smallholders. This suggests that innovation diffusion within this sector is socially motivated, emphasizing the influential role of communication in facilitating adoption of sustainable practices among small farmers. This novel understanding offers valuable insights for researchers and practitioners in utilizing social dynamics to endorse sustainable practices within the palm oil industry. Keywords: Sustainable certification, communication, smallholders, innovation diffusion, social structure.

Contested representations: A comparative analysis of palm oil sustainability in Malaysian and Dutch media

The emergence of palm oil as the world's most produced and consumed vegetable oil has prompted various policy initiatives to help govern the industry in a sustainable manner. These initiatives include transnational sustainable certification schemes, such as the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), and national level sustainability standards, such as Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil. To date, attempts to find consensus on sustainable policy and processes has been characterised by tension and disagreement. Most notably, stakeholders participating in policy dialogue from producing countries are unsatisfied with the outcomes of transnational palm oil governance. Tension stems from observations that sustainability is understood differently in the palm oil producing countries of the Global South compared with Northern consumption markets. To understand the different framings of palm oil and potential governance solutions, we investigate media coverage of palm oil sustainability in two different countries: the Netherlands – the largest importer of palm oil in Europe – and Malaysia – the second largest exporter of palm oil in the world after Indonesia. From a sample of 397 Malaysian and Dutch newspaper articles between 2000 and 2015, we employ framing analysis to examine the similarities and differences in media representations of palm oil sustainability. Our findings reveal considerable differences in the way palm oil sustainability is framed in the two countries. Malaysian media frame palm oil as a sustainable industry yet underpinned by a distrust towards transnational sustainability governance (e.g. RSPO) and a perception of unfair treatment towards producing countries by the West. Conversely, Dutch media frame the West as proud consumers of palm oil, who are driving up sustainability standards through NGO scrutiny and participation in transnational processes. We argue that a comparative analysis of media frames offers instructive insights for understanding processes of transnational sustainability governance. In particular, we posit that reconciling policy tensions between North and South palm oil stakeholders could be achieved by highlighting the differences in sustainability framings at different points in the value chain to identify contestation and consensus.

Integration of social aspects in the German Blue Angel scheme – Views from manufacturers and consumers

There is an urgent need to address social issues in global supply chains. Voluntary certification schemes for green products face major technical, methodological, and institutional challenges when it comes to integrating reliable and verifiable product criteria on social and human rights aspects. The main focus of eco-labels, such as the German Blue Angel, has largely been on addressing the environmental and health-related aspects of products and services. There is a continuous uncertainty about what consumers expect from well-established eco-labels, such as the Blue Angel, and how manufacturers and license holders would react to the proposition of including social criteria. Therefore, in 2018, the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA) commissioned the project “Extended integration of social aspects in the Blue Angel eco-label” to analyse the expectations and interests of consumers and enterprises regarding the integration of social criteria in the Blue Angel label. The applied approach involved two primary data collections, a manufacturer, and a consumer survey. Both surveys collected insights into the opinions and preferences of manufacturers and consumers regarding the integration of social criteria into the requirements of the Blue Angel scheme. The survey also collected information on product groups that were perceived to be most relevant as well as on expectations with respect to specific social issues. One key result is that generally consumers and manufacturers have a strong interest in integrating social criteria in the Blue Angel scheme. This reflects the societal consensus that social and human rights issues should be an integral part of sustainability certification schemes and the supply chain management of enterprises.

Emergence and evolution of aquaculture sustainability certification schemes

Nongovernmental private organizations have used certification as a governance instrument to advance the socioenvironmental and ethical sustainability of industrial aquaculture. Though started by organic pioneers, the landscape of aquaculture certification has rapidly altered since the late 1990s with the emergence of nonorganic initiatives accelerated by socioeconomic and environmental crises affecting aquaculture production. However, evidence regarding when, how, and why various schemes have emerged and evolved is scarce. Informed by the path-dependence perspective, this study chronicles the emergence and evolution of four organic and six nonorganic transnational nongovernmental aquaculture certification schemes. Drawing on archival records, this study notes that the dynamics of markets, politics, and ideas have played a decisive role in the creation and proliferation of schemes, species-specific standards, and certification programs. By dividing the evolutionary period into two timescales, 1970–1999 and 2000–2021, this study documents the intense competition among certification agencies spurred by the demand for farmed seafood in international markets. A nonorganic certification scheme was dissolved because of a credibility crisis and criticisms, whereas other schemes continue to thrive. However, the recent consolidation of major nonorganics and their growing involvement in the wild fishery industry put the aquaculture certification field in a state of uncertainty. This study provides important insight into the advancement of program-level harmonization initiatives and how the limits of those measures can be overcome to resolve confusion and duplication of certification schemes.

The cost of sustainable palm oil: Should an Indonesian smallholder pursue RSPO-certification?

• Economic drivers of palm oil industry in Indonesia. • Environmental impacts of land-use change. • Sustainability certification schemes, specifically those managed by the RSPO.

Global and local sustainable certification systems: Factors influencing RSPO and Thai-GAP adoption by oil palm smallholder farmers in Thailand

This paper investigates the factors that influence the adoption of RSPO and Thai-GAP certification by oil palm smallholder farmers in Thailand. A random sample of 77 RSPO certified, 108 non-certified RSPO, 87 Thai-GAP certified, and 67 non-certified Thai-GAP smallholder farmers were interviewed to investigate the factors explaining the RSPO and Thai-GAP scheme adoption, respectively. The logit model was used to analyse the relationships between the adoption and the decision-making factors of the farmers. The results show that membership of farmer groups, the goal of the scheme, and trust in the scheme are the most significant factors affecting the adoption of RSPO certification. Scheme payments have a negative influence on adoption. In case of Thai-GAP, the results show the scheme payment, the image, concerns about the quality of land and water, and trust in the scheme are the most significant factors affecting the adoption. Finally, these findings suggest new factors may be attributed to several issues, including trust in the scheme, membership of farmer groups, the scheme’s goal, and trust in the scheme are the most significant. Designing and extension in influencing factors may play multiple roles in driving smallholder farmers to adopt sustainable certification schemes. This finding repeats that the usability of sustainable certification schemes in developing countries needs to be mobilised around a particular socio-cultural context. Including, understanding the factors affecting smallholder farmers’ intention to adopt Thai-GAP or RSPO certification is very important to plan and promote these schemes among other farmers and transform the current cultivation practices into more sustainable palm oil production.

Valuing sustainability Part 2: Australian valuers' perception of sustainability in valuation practice

PurposeThe research investigates valuers' understanding of the value of sustainability in property and its' consideration in valuation practice in Australia. This paper explores valuers' perceptions of the relationships between sustainability and market values, sustainability and valuation variables, and the value influence of industry sustainability certification schemes. Further, this paper tracks prevalence of certified buildings in Australian commercial markets and the evolution of valuers' knowledge of sustainability certifications used in Australia.Design/methodology/approachThis paper reports on the next rendition of a longitudinal study examining valuers’ practice in Australia. This research explores the evolution of Australian valuers' perception and knowledge of sustainability in valuation practice. The survey data has been periodically collected from practising valuers from 2007 to 2021. The survey questions investigate valuers' knowledge development, understanding, reporting and consideration of the relationship between sustainability and market value.FindingsThe results have identified the evolution of the influence of normative research on valuers' perceptions of the relationship between sustainability and value; with a clearer understanding emerging over time of where the value relationships are identified in valuation variables. Greater alignment between empirical Australian studies and valuers' perceptions of the influence of sustainability ratings on value, demonstrate the value connection for higher rated buildings under NABERS (energy rating) and Green Star. Whilst only 41% of the study's participants are including sustainability in their valuation reports, they include a higher level of commentary on building descriptions and initiatives, building ratings, and reporting of owner and tenant objectives, than in previous studies. Knowledge development relating to sustainability certification tool, NABERS was identified. This is likely linked to the introduction of mandatory disclosure legislation. This has also led to increased awareness and valuers' knowledge of the differences between the two key rating tools used in Australia.Research limitations/implicationsThe research has several limitations: firstly, recruitment of valuers and the number of valuers' responses has varied over time; secondly, due to collection methods respondents have a greater likelihood of having an interest in and knowledge of sustainability creating potential for positive bias; thirdly, respondents may have responded to the survey in different years, but due to anonymity there has been no ability to track this. The results provide insights into the Australian valuation profession but may not be fully representative of the profession overall in Australia.Practical implicationsThe broader agenda of net zero, climate change, mitigation and carbon requirements, whether driven by market forces or government legislation, are generating changes in property markets as investors' reconsider their positions and model the implications of carbon emissions on their bottom lines. Introductions of policy and legislation over time in the Australian context have led to changes in valuation practice and increasing consideration of energy efficiency and ratings in the valuation of assets. However, further guidance and research still is required in Australia to assist in the knowledge development of valuers, and their ability to consider the emerging effects of sustainability, net zero and other market driven objectives including legislation, and how these may affect or influence their evaluation of market evidence and thus property values.Originality/valueThe research has tracked valuers' understanding, knowledge, and consideration of sustainability and energy efficiency in valuation practice since 2007. In that time the research has found that, as the market has evolved and more rated buildings are built (or retrofitted), so too has valuers' knowledge and consideration in valuation practices evolved. Valuers are more engaged with industry rating tools such as NABERS. This suggests that the Australian mandatory disclosure policies have contributed to changes in the market, which are then interpreted by valuers and reflected in their perceptions and consideration of energy ratings in valuation practice.

Sustainability certification and water efficiency in coffee farming: The role of irrigation technologies

The unsustainable use of irrigation water is one of the most serious environmental problems in coffee farming. Rapid expansion of sustainability certifications and adoption of advanced irrigation technologies are expected to promote more sustainable water use through changes in water management practices in coffee farming. However, there lacks empirical evidence on the effects of those certification schemes on water efficiency. This study examines the effect of sustainability certification on the water efficiency of coffee growers, considering distinct irrigation technologies used by farmers - overhead sprinkler and micro-basin irrigation technologies. The meta-frontier framework is used in our empirical analysis of 896 Vietnamese coffee farms over three crop years. Results confirm that irrigation water efficiency in coffee farming is substantially low. There is no evidence supporting the effect of sustainability certification on water efficiency, but advanced irrigation technologies could improve water efficiency. Coffee farms using the sprinkler system are more efficient than those using the micro-basin irrigation technology. Our results also support environmentally friendly farming practices, i.e., having wind-break trees on coffee farms. It also suggests that improving the quality of sustainability certification schemes towards sustainable use of water requires water-saving technologies.

Challenges in creating a sustainable building certificate for single-family housing in Denmark through an Actor-Network Theory (ANT) lens

Voluntary certification schemes are a necessary driver for sustainable transition in the building industry. In Denmark, the primary scheme is DGNB with its holistic understanding of sustainability, rewarding environmental, social, and economic sustainability equally. The DGNB scheme, however, does not currently have a manual contextualized for smaller building projects with corresponding economies, such as single-family housing. This research article explores what is needed to create and diffuse a certification scheme for small-scale building projects on the Danish market. It explores how standardized building companies present a unique opportunity for entry as they comprise a substantial market share. It also explores how enrolling a new user-base comes with new challenges, such as marketing sustainable building to ordinary people, balancing the reduction of complexity and need for documentation with retaining impact, and overcoming the knowledge gap on sustainable housing. The ambition of the research paper is to map the field of sustainability certification in the Danish building industry and help make visible some of the challenges to support the process of developing a new sustainable certification scheme for single-family housing or further development of this research field.

Challenges faced by smallholders in achieving sustainable palm oil certification in Indonesia

• Smallholder sustainability certification offers the potential of more equitable and ecologically sustainable oil palm cultivation. • All of the independent smallholders studied face significant challenges in achieving certification. • Certain types of farmers, however, have greater advantages in achieving certification than others due to historical policies and programs. • Ensuring that larger numbers of smallholders attain certification requires addressing the structural disadvantages of independent smallholders. Reducing tropical deforestation caused by the expansion of agricultural and other commodities requires effective and equitable interventions for engaging small-scale producers. Interventions should reduce deforestation and environmental degradation while improving the welfare of rural households. Voluntary, sustainability certification schemes provide clear pathways and incentives for both large scale and small-scale producers to move towards more sustainable and inclusive commodity production. Although the benefits of certification to many small-scale commodity producers are debated, the certification of oil palm smallholders can provide ecological and social benefits under the right conditions. There are significant challenges for smallholders, in particular independent smallholders, to achieve certification. In this article, we evaluate the certification process of 1280 oil palm, independent smallholders and identify the main challenges they faced in achieving certification. We then analyze a dataset over 6261 farmers in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia to estimate which farmers are likely to face obstacles in achieving sustainability certification. The results of the study indicate that farmers that have been excluded by historical planning and agricultural extension programs as well as smallholder plantation schemes are disproportionately disadvantaged in comparison with farmers that were supported by these schemes. The results demonstrate that without the involvement of government and support from non-government or private sector actors, independent smallholders are unlikely to achieve voluntary, sustainability certification. To avoid the exclusion of smallholders from supply chains, a systematic effort would be required to overcome many of these structural disadvantages. Novel, multi-stakeholder approaches, in which the private sector and civil society organizations collaborate with subnational governments, may assist in overcoming these challenges.

ACCEPTANCE OF GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES (GAP) AMONG INDEPENDENT OIL PALM SMALLHOLDERS IN MALAYSIA

Several oil palm sustainable certification schemes have been introduced in Malaysia such as MPOB Codes of Good Agricultural Practices (MPOB CoGAP) Certification, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification, and Malaysia Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) Certification. All these certifications have been successfully accepted in many of the oil palm estates except the ISH. There is a big challenge to certify the Malaysian ISH because they are lack farm management practice. Therefore, Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) has introduced the individual sustainable certification to the ISH, which is known as Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) certification. This paper's main objectives are to identify the GAP acceptance level (compliant, partial-compliant, and non-compliant) recommended by MPOB and determine the factors affecting GAP certification acceptance among the ISH in Malaysia. This study was conducted in all states in Malaysia, and the data were collected from a total of 400 respondents selected through the Proportionate Random Sampling Method. The results showed that 58% of the ISH partially comply by receiving the GAP certificate. while only 26% fulfilled the requirements, thus eligible for GAP certification. Two factors that significantly influenced the GAP compliance among the ISH were the respondents' education level and the age of palm oil plantation. The results of this study indicated that GAP on fertiliser application and record-keeping were adopted by the ISH and significantly affecting their compliant level of MPOB GAP Certification among ISH.

Sustainable Palm Oil Certification Scheme Frameworks and Impacts: A Systematic Literature Review

Sustainability certification schemes were introduced to the palm oil industry as a response to address the negative environmental and social impacts associated with the development of this industry. The first certification scheme for palm oil, the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), was established in 2004, followed by other non-governmental initiatives to ensure the sustainable production of palm oil. Indonesia and Malaysia, the two largest palm oil producers in the world, established Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) and Malaysia Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) in 2011 and 2015, respectively. This article aims to analyze the existing literature related to studies on the RSPO, MSPO and ISPO on the basis of articles identified from the SCOPUS (scopus.com) and Web of Science (clavirate.com) databases. Results showed that research on the RSPO has been widely conducted compared with that on MSPO and ISPO. Thus, further research on MSPO and ISPO is needed to understand the dynamics of the implementation of sustainability certification. This article also provides an insight on how sustainable certification in the palm oil industry, particularly MSPO, could contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Private sustainability governance, the Global South and COVID-19: Are changes to audit policies in light of the pandemic exacerbating existing inequalities?

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted global economic relations. Transnational private regulatory programs, such as sustainability certification and eco-labeling schemes that set standards for responsible production practices in global markets, have had to react. Private regulation’s market credibility is partially built on audits, which include field visits used to assess whether participating operators conform with a program’s standard. But COVID-19-related health and business restrictions have forced adjustments to field-audit policies. Literature on private governance has identified several barriers to participation of Global South operators, including the costs of certification, the availability of qualified auditors, and uncertain socio-economic benefits. Are audit policy changes made because of the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating these barriers? We examine this question through a dataset constructed between April and November 2020 that contains information on COVID-19-related audit policy responses of 98 transnational private sustainability regulators. We describe the mixed transparency of these adjustments to date and five ways in which the adjustments create explicit and implicit barriers to operators from Global South countries. The changes create barriers through (1) the conditions set on when and how adjustments to audits are permitted, (2) the limited flexibility of substantive standards, (3) the potential costs of shifting to remote audits, (4) the focus on accommodating existing participants over new applicants, and (5) the potential challenges of accessing auditors to conduct assessments. We conclude with implications for research on private regulation post-COVID-19.

A pilot study of methodology for the development of farmland habitat reports for sustainability assessments

The inclusion of farm maps of habitat features is becoming an urgent requirement for assessments of farm-scale sustainability and for compliance or benchmarking with national and international sustainability certification and accreditation schemes. Traditional methods of habitat assessment rely strongly on field-based surveys, which are logistically demanding and relatively costly. We describe and investigate a process that relies on information technology to develop a scalable method that can be applied across multiple farms to reduce the significant logistical challenges and financial costs of traditional habitat surveys. A key impediment to the routine development of farm habitat maps is the lack of information on the type of habitats that occur on a land parcel. Within a pilot project comprising 187 farms, we developed and implemented a process for creating farm habitat reports and investigate the accuracy of visual interpretation of satellite imagery by an ecologist aiming to identify habitat types. We generated customised farm reports that included a colour-coded farm habitat map and habitat information (type, area, relative wildlife importance). Visual assessment of satellite imagery achieved an overall accuracy of 96% in its ability to discriminate between land parcels with habitats categorised by this study as being of either high or low nature conservation value. Assessment of satellite imagery achieved an overall accuracy of 90% in its ability to discriminate among Fossitt level II habitat classes, and an overall accuracy of 81% when using individual habitat classes (Fossitt level III). There was, however, considerable variation in the accuracy associated with individual habitat classes. We conclude that this methodology based on satellite imagery is sufficiently accurate to be used for the incorporation of farmland habitats into farm-scale sustainability assurance, but should, at most, use Fossitt level II habitat classes. We discuss future challenges and opportunities for the development of farm habitat maps and plans for their use in sustainability certification schemes.

Trade-off analysis of cost and nutrient efficiency of coffee farms in vietnam: A more generalised approach

Literature has documented significant trade-offs between economic and environmental performance in many areas of agricultural production. However, while it has focused on the trade-off for technically efficient farms there are differing types of trade-offs that exist for differing types of farms. The present paper addresses these gaps in the literature by proposing a more generalised approach to analysing cost and environmental trade-offs. There is also a lack of research on the nature of the trade-off in coffee farming. This is especially so in Vietnam where there is both significant overuse of nutrients and increasing autonomous adaption through voluntary participation in sustainability certification schemes. The proposed framework is employed to investigate a data set of 679 Vietnamese coffee farms. This study delivers several important findings. First, the proposed approach indicates four distinct groups of farms facing differing types of trade-offs with some farms not facing any trade-offs. Second, empirical results show that the average levels of technical, cost and environmental efficiency are relatively low. Third, sustainability certified farms are found to perform better than non-certified farms although the differences in performance diminish over time. Overall, the empirical results favour a heterogeneous and more integrated policy approach to improving the technical, cost and environmental efficiency of coffee farmers in Vietnam.

Third-party sustainability certifications in food retailing: Certification design from a sustainable supply chain management perspective

The purpose of this study is to examine the proliferation of retail-driven sustainability certification schemes focusing on the role of certification and its design from a corporate perspective. It does so by exploring three different cases of certification design in the food retailing industry: unilateral Tesco Nurture, collaborative GlobalGAP, and multi-stakeholder UTZ certifications. Using case study methods and viewing the certifications through the application of collective action logic and dynamic capability theory, we provide new insights important to researchers, retailers, and supply chains. The results of this study show that retail efforts to develop certifications are driven by better alignment with the business’ goal of improving the sustainability performance of supply chains. Retail-driven certifications can enable stronger brand assurance, stakeholder satisfaction, competitive development of certified supply volumes, and dynamic capabilities that contribute to effective, efficient and faster upgrades to sustainability practices in the supply chain. The contributions of this study also identify numerous factors that influence the development of certifications via collaborative/multi-stakeholder or unilateral efforts. There are three major factors: 1) trade-offs between different aspects of certification design and institutional-stakeholder context, 2) challenges of ‘collective’ bargaining, and 3) generation of dynamic capabilities. From results, we posit the co-existence of multiple certifications, called “standards multiplicity,” as advantageous for facilitating retailers’ engagement with sustainable supply chain management. Finally, conclusions and implications allow us to predict the evolving complexity of retail-driven certifications will enable dynamic capabilities, opportunities for creating competitive advantage, and open a dialogue for other industries to learn from these insights.

Measuring the Economic Impact of a Voluntary Sustainable Tourism Certification

This article contributes to the debate about whether the investment in tourism sustainability is economically profitable for firms. Specifically, using cross-sectional analysis, we explore the existence of a causal link between the possession of a voluntary sustainable certification, Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), and the increase in the prices of hotel accommodation. For this, the hedonic price method is used. Prior to the hedonic estimation, the propensity score-matching methodology is applied in order to control for self-selection bias. The analysis is carried out for coastal hotels located in the southern area of Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain) which merits attention as a typical mature sun and beach tourist destination. The study does not reveal any significant effects of sustainable certification on the prices of accommodations, which would appear to explain the low participation of establishments in the program. We conclude by providing some useful insights on measures aimed at improving related policies.

‘Social stuff’ and all that jazz: Understanding the residual category of social sustainability

Recently we have seen a substantial increase in pressure for industries, such as aquaculture, to become more sustainable. When it comes to practical attempts to operationalise sustainable development, however, the ‘social stuff’ is often neglected. In this paper, we provide a detailed exploration of how the concept of social sustainability is operationalised (and therefore understood) within the aquaculture certification context. We found that a) certification schemes do address social sustainability, but relevant indicators mostly focus on workers’ rights, or link directly back to environmental sustainability (through the consequences of environmental impact on humans); and b) the actions required often add little over and above existing legal requirements. Essentially, aquaculture sustainability certification schemes have not (yet) taken the opportunity to further shape our understanding of what social sustainability means, or how it is practiced. The consequence of this may be the impression that industries are truly sustainable, just because they have obtained sustainability certification.