Summary
This presentation summarises a whitepaper published by the STAR4BBS project, which examines how sustainability certification schemes and labels (also known as VSS) influence global trade, focusing on their role in ensuring sustainable production and their uneven effects across different institutional settings.
The whitepaper draws on a systematic literature review of 21 quantitative studies and reviews certification coverage across key bio-based commodities imported into the EU. The analysis synthesises evidence on governance structures, producer capacities and supply chain characteristics to assess how certification schemes and labels shape market access, trade performance and value distribution.
The findings of this review show that certification can enhance trade by signalling quality and reducing information asymmetries in strong institutional environments, but may limit market participation and impose disproportionate compliance costs on smallholders in weaker contexts. The whitepaper recommends strengthening governance and standard harmonisation, supporting small producers through financial and digital tools, promoting fair cost-sharing along supply chains and improving data interoperability for evidence-based policymaking.
