Isabelle Vagneron

From commoditisation to de-commoditisation ... and back again: Discussing the role of sustainability standards for agricultural products

Sustainability standards are flooding global agricultural markets. Standards, however, are not new. This article analyses, from a historical perspective, the implications of the transition from traditional to sustainability standards in the commoditisation/de-commoditisation process. It shows how early standards contributed to the construction of the category of primary commodities and how, after a short attempt at de-commoditisation (with the early fair-trade and organic standards), sustainability standards are tending towards re-commoditisation.

Le café dans la jungle des standards de durabilité environnementale et sociale

Sustainability standards are flooding global agricultural markets. Such standards however, are not recent: standards for the exchange of grain and tropical products emerged in the 19th century. The objective of this article is to analyse, in a historical perspective, the implications of the transition from traditional standards to sustainability standards on the commoditization/de-commoditization process. We show how early standards and grades contributed to the construction of the category of products called primary commodities and how, after a short attempt at de-commoditization (with the early fair trade and organic standards), sustainability standards have tended towards re-commoditization.Sustainability standards are flooding global agricultural markets. Such standards however, are not recent: standards for the exchange of grain and tropical products emerged in the 19th century. The objective of this article is to analyse, in a historical perspective, the implications of the transition from traditional standards to sustainability standards on the commoditization/de-commoditization process. We show how early standards and grades contributed to the construction of the category of products called primary commodities and how, after a short attempt at de-commoditization (with the early fair trade and organic standards), sustainability standards have tended towards re-commoditization.