概要

At their core, Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) are tools for tackling issues of public concern such as biodiversity, climate change or human rights protection, in global supply chains. They are often explicitly based on norms or commitments agreed by governments at an international or multilateral level. Because VSS provide a means to complement and fill in the governance gaps left by national regulation, governments have sought to engage and use them in various ways. This contribution emphasizes the emergence of 'supply side' interactions which aim to scale up the production of sustainably produced commodities. We argue that governments in producing countries are showing an increased interest in using and collaborating with VSS - a willingness to engage which was largely absent in the past. This growing interest has opened up new ways for governments to integrate VSS into public policy and co-regulation. This article provides three examples of such emerging interactions: in the Brazilian coffee sector in the state of Minas Gerais, cotton production based on a concessionary model in Mozambique, and sustainable palm oil production in Indonesia and Malaysia. By way of conclusion, the paper reflects on the potential and limitations of such new interactions and co-regulatory initiatives, and highlights key areas requiring further research.