Publication: Towards sustainability. The Roles and Limitations of Certification
Towards sustainability. The Roles and Limitations of Certification
| dc.contributor.author | Barry, M. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Cashore, B. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Clay, J. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Fernandez, M. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Lebel | |
| dc.contributor.author | L., Lyon, T. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Kennedy, T. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2022-01-23T18:58:09Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2022-01-23T18:58:09Z | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://open.fsc.org/handle/resource/1033 | |
| dc.title | Towards sustainability. The Roles and Limitations of Certification | en |
| dcterms.abstract | In today's marketplace, consumers facing an in-store or online display of products typically have to choose from among items produced in distant places under unknown conditions. High-profi le cases of contaminated food, child labor, animal welfare problems, and the collapse of fi sheries and other resources have raised consumer concerns about how products are made or Companies also face challenges in assuring that their sources of supply will be avail- able over the long term and that their brands and reputations will thrive. Major global brands have been called into question concerning practices associated with their products. Certifi ed products—such as sustainable seafood, organic food, fair trade coffee, and responsibly harvested wood—are often presented as part of the solution. But are certifi ed products really better for the environment? Are they better for people and communities? Can they catalyze more sustainable production and consumption across whole sectors? Under what circumstances do they promote sustainable practices? This document summarizes the fi ndings of an assessment of the state of knowledge available to companies, investors, practitioners, and consumers seeking answers to questions about the performance and potential of certifi cation and voluntary standards.harvested. | en |
| dcterms.accessRights | Public | |
| dcterms.accessRights | Open access | |
| dcterms.bibliographicCitation | Barry, M., Cashore, B., Clay, J., Fernandez, M., Lebel, L., Lyon, T. and Kennedy, T., 2012. Toward Sustainability: The roles and limitations of certification. Washington, RESOLVE | en |
| dcterms.issued | 2012 | |
| dcterms.language | en | |
| dcterms.license | Other | en |
| dcterms.publisher | Rainforest Alliance | |
| dcterms.type | Report | |
| dspace.entity.type | Publication | |
| fsc.evidenceCategory | FSC impact-related | |
| fsc.focus.sustainDimension | Social | |
| fsc.focus.sustainDimension | Economic | |
| fsc.focus.sustainDimension | Environmental | |
| fsc.subject | Forests | |
| fsc.subject | Certification | |
| is.availability.fullText | Full text available | |
| is.contributor.funderType | Private funds (NGOs, companies, VSS self-funded etc) | |
| is.contributor.member | Rainforest Alliance | |
| is.evaluation.collection | Interviews/surveys with informants/experts | |
| is.evaluation.collection | Company/certified entities /co-op data records | |
| is.evaluation.dataSource | Intergovernmental data (World Bank, UN, FAO data) | |
| is.evaluation.notes | This enormous report (427 pages) addresses these major questions: a) What factors do stakeholders take into account when using, deciding to use of deciding to support a given certification system?; b) What is known about the impacts of VSS?; and c) How do other forces interact with certification systems and how does this affect outcomes? (=own wording). Forestry is one out of 4 sectors the assessment focusses on. Method: mostly literature review of peer-reviewed studies | |
| is.evaluation.quotes | "given the proliferation of certification systems and ecolabels and theapparent lack of any existing systematic review ofthe on-the-ground impacts of these systems—that important questions regarding standardsand certification could benefit from collaborativestudy. In particular, with the rising uptake ofcertification, we believed it essential to provideproducers, supply-chain actors, and the environmentalcommunity with a solid assessment ofwhat is known and not known about this meansof moving toward sustainable use." | |
| is.evaluation.quotes | "The timescales for measuring outcomes are likely to vary between the three main sets ofindicators. Environmental outcomes may have longer time scales, ranging from four to overtwenty years, depending upon tree growth and cutting cycles. Social impacts may be seasonal,associated with silvicultural activities such as planting, and may vary significantly between theearly stages of establishing plantations and when trees in plantations are mature, and dependentupon product development and marketing. After establishing a baseline, a period of three tofour years is estimated as required to detect changes in many of the indicators, determining theperiod when an impact evaluation could be conducted." | |
| is.evaluation.quotes | "This State-of-Knowledge Assessment sought to discover what is knownand what is most important to learn about the performance andpotential of voluntary standards and certifi cation. It found substantialevidence of improvements in social, environmental, and economicpractices resulting from certifi cation at the site level, as well as someinstances of unintended effects, positive and negative. However, muchof the evidence is case specifi c, preventing generalizations, and in manycases, it is diffi cult to attribute outcomes directly to certifi cation." | |
| is.evaluation.quotes | "It appears that voluntary standards and certifi cation are most effectiveas part of a suite of integrated public and private sustainability tools.Standards and certifi cation can bring about rapid changes in productionpractices when fi rms use them to support better practice and performanceby their suppliers. They can also complement regulation, byfi lling gaps and introducing mechanisms for adapting to technologicaland social change." | |
| is.evaluation.quotes | "There are few large-scalequalitative and quantitativestudies documenting outcomesand impacts suffi cient todetermine what eff ectsoccurred and whether they wereattributable to certifi cation." | |
| is.evaluation.quotes | "These fi ndings are not surprising—standardsand certifi cation systems are complex and dynamic, many are relatively new,and studies of them are in short supply. Serious methodological challenges linkedto the complexity and dynamic nature of ecosystems and communities also limitthe potential for academically rigorous, experimentally designed and controlledstudies of long-term, large-scale impacts. (See pp. 58–60; 71–72.)" | |
| is.evidenceSubType | Synthesis paper - literature review | |
| is.evidenceType | Synthesis paper | |
| is.focus.products | Agriculture | |
| is.focus.products | Forestry | |
| is.focus.products | Fisheries | |
| is.focus.products | Aquaculture | |
| is.focus.sdg | SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals | |
| is.focus.sectors | Agriculture | |
| is.focus.sectors | Forestry | |
| is.focus.sectors | Fisheries | |
| is.focus.sectors | Aquaculture | |
| is.focus.sustainDimension | Social | |
| is.focus.sustainDimension | Economic | |
| is.focus.sustainDimension | Environmental | |
| is.focus.sustainIssue | Rights of indigenous peoples and local communities | |
| is.focus.sustainLens | Multiple certification | |
| is.focus.sustainOutcome | Governance mechanisms | |
| is.focus.systemElement | MandE outcomes and impacts | |
| is.focus.systemElement | MandE performance monitoring | |
| is.identifier.code | Impacts | |
| is.identifier.doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.34800/fsc-international867 | |
| is.identifier.schemeName | Forest Stewardship Council | |
| is.identifier.schemeType | Voluntary Sustainability Standards | |
| is.link.url | https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/sites/default/files/2016-08/toward-sustainability.pdf |