External publications

The changing landscape of sustainability standards in Indonesia: potentials and pitfalls of making global value chains more sustainable

Brandi, Clara
External Publications (2020)

in: Negi, Archna / Jorge Antonio Pérez-Pineda / Johannes Blankenbach (Eds.), Sustainability Standards and Global Governance, Singapore: Springer, 133-144

ISBN: 978-981-15-3473-7
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3473-7_8
Volltext/Document

This chapter investigates the changing landscape of voluntary sustainability standards in Indonesia and discusses potential trade-offs between the socio-economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development in the context of smallholder certification in the palm oil sector. On the one hand, there is a concern that sustainability standards might weaken the socio-economic situation of smallholders by preventing them from having access to global value chains and markets that demand certification. On the other hand, whereas certification can give rise to socio-economic benefits for smallholders taking part in certification schemes, these benefits may have undesirable consequences for environmental sustainability. The chapter studies these trade-offs and discusses how the synergies between economic, environmental and social sustainability can be promoted.