Certifiably Sustainable?

Certifiably Sustainable? PDF

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2010-07-17

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 0309147115

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Consumption of goods and services represents a growing share of global economic activity. In the United States, consumption accounts for more than two-thirds of gross domestic product. This trend of increasing consumption has brought with it negative consequences for the environment and human well-being. Global demand for energy, food, and all manner of goods is on the rise, putting strains on the natural and human capital required to produce them. Extractive industries and production processes are prominent causes of species endangerment. Modern economies are underpinned by substantial energy consumption, a primary contributor to the current climate crisis. Expanding international trade has led to many economic opportunities, but has also contributed to unfair labor practices and wealth disparities. While certain processes have improved or become more efficient, and certain practices have been outlawed or amended, the sheer scale of global consumption and its attendant impacts continue to be major challenges we face in the transition to sustainability. Third-party certification systems have emerged over the last 15 years as a tool with some promise. There has been anecdotal evidence of success, but to date the overall impact of certified goods and services has been small. Moreover, definitions of sustainable vary across sectors and markets, and rigorous assessments of these programs have been few and far between. In order to take a step in learning from this field of practice, the National Academies' Science and Technology for Sustainability Program held a workshop to illuminate the decision making process of those who purchase and produce certified goods and services. It was also intended to help clarify the scope and limitations of the scientific knowledge that might contribute to the economic success of certified products. The workshop, summarized in this volume, involved presentations and discussions with approximately 40 invited experts from academia, business, government, and nongovernmental organizations.

Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing Handbook

Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing Handbook PDF

Author: Carole R. Engle

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2016-07-29

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13: 1118859243

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Aquaculture, the farming of aquatic animals and plants, and other seafood businesses continue to grow rapidly around the world. However, many of these businesses fail due to the lack of sufficient attention to marketing. The Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing Handbook provides the reader with a comprehensive, yet user-friendly presentation of key concepts and tools necessary for aquaculture and seafood businesses to evaluate and adapt to changing market conditions. Markets for aquaculture and seafood products are diverse, dynamic, and complex. The Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing Handbook presents fundamental principles of marketing, specific discussion of aquaculture and seafood market channels and supply chains from around the world, and builds towards a step-by-step approach to strategic market planning for successful aquaculture and seafood businesses. This book is an essential reference for all aquaculture and seafood businesses as well as students of aquaculture. The volume contains a series of synopses of specific markets, an extensive annotated bibliography, and webliography for additional sources of information. Written by authors with vast experience in international marketing of aquaculture and seafood products, this volume is a valuable source of guidance for those seeking to identify profitable markets for their aquaculture and seafood products.

Product Certification and Ecolabelling for Fisheries Sustainability

Product Certification and Ecolabelling for Fisheries Sustainability PDF

Author: Cathy A. Roheim

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 100

ISBN-13: 9789251046975

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This document considers product certification and ecolabelling schemes used for fish and fishery products. It discusses the characteristics and theoretical foundations of these programmes, the links to international trade law; and other institutional aspects.

Marine Policy

Marine Policy PDF

Author: Mark Zacharias

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2019-06-20

Total Pages: 322

ISBN-13: 135121621X

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This book provides readers with a foundation in policy development and analysis, describing how policy, including legal mechanisms, are applied to the marine environment. It presents a systematic treatment of all aspects of marine policy, including climate change, energy, environmental protection, fisheries, mining and transportation. The health of marine environments worldwide is steadily declining, and these trends have been widely reported. Marine Policy summarizes the importance of the ocean governance nexus, discussing current and anticipated challenges facing marine ecosystems, human activities, and efforts to address these threats. This new, fully revised edition has been updated throughout, including content to reflect the recent advances in ocean management and international law. Chapters on shipping, energy/mining and integrated approaches to ocean management have been significantly reworked, plus completely new chapters on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the impacts of climate change have been added. Pedagogical features for students are included throughout. Aligned with current course offerings, this book is an ideal introduction for undergraduates and graduate students taking marine affairs, science and policy courses.

Food, Globalization and Sustainability

Food, Globalization and Sustainability PDF

Author: Peter Oosterveer

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2012-06-25

Total Pages: 298

ISBN-13: 1136529624

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Food is increasingly traded internationally, thereby transforming the organization of food production and consumption globally and influencing most food-related practices. This transition is generating unfamiliar challenges related to sustainability of food provision, the social impacts of international trade and global food governance. Distance in time and space between food producers and consumers is increasing and new concerns are arising. These include the environmental impact of food production and trade, animal welfare, the health and safety of food and the social and economic impact of international food trade. This book provides an overview of the principal conceptual frameworks that have been developed for understanding these changes. It shows how conventional regulation of food provision through sovereign national governments is becoming elusive, as the distinctions between domestic and international, and between public and private spheres, disappear. At the same time multi-national companies and supranational institutions put serious limits to governmental interventions. In this context, other social actors including food retailers and NGOs are shown to take up innovative roles in governing food provision, but their contribution to agro-food sustainability is under continuous scrutiny. The authors apply these themes in several detailed case studies, including organic, fair trade, local food and fish. On the basis of these cases, future developments are explored, with a focus on the respective roles of agricultural producers, retailers and consumers.

Improving Global Environmental Governance

Improving Global Environmental Governance PDF

Author: Norichika Kanie

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-10-30

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 1135069336

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The experience of environmental governance is approached in Improving Global Environmental Governance from the unique perspective of actor configuration and embedded networks of actors, which are areas of emerging importance. The chapters look at existing Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and the broader constellation of partially networked institutions to better understand the involvement of individual actors and how to deepen the networks that include them to generate more effective governance. The book covers a wide range of issued pertaining to environmental governance including trans-boundary air pollution, marine pollution, biodiversity and ozone depletion. It also examines partnerships as a hybrid case of emerging modes of environmental governance. These partnerships are a recent form of actor configuration that warrant attention for dealing with global environmental threats in order to better understand the full potential of actor configurations in the absence of state involvement. In order to test applicability to on-going but stalled processes, the book applies the approach to one of the most difficult issues we face: climate change. By addressing key questions in this important area, the book provides new perspectives in the nexus between agency and architecture in environmental governance in the twenty-first century.

Sustainability Certification Schemes in the Agricultural and Natural Resource Sectors

Sustainability Certification Schemes in the Agricultural and Natural Resource Sectors PDF

Author: Melissa Vogt

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2019-05-03

Total Pages: 324

ISBN-13: 1351331450

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This book provides a balanced critique of a range of international sustainability certification schemes across nine agricultural and natural resource industries. Certification schemes set standards through intramarket private and multi-stakeholder mechanisms, and while third-party verification is often compulsory, certification schemes are regulated voluntarily rather than legislatively. This volume examines the intricacies of certification schemes and the issues they seek to address and provides the context within which each scheme operates. While a distinction between sustainability certifications and extra-markets or intrabusiness codes of conducts is made, the book also demonstrates how both are often working towards similar sustainability objectives. Each chapter highlights a different sector, including animal welfare, biodiversity, biofuels, coffee, fisheries, flowers, forest management and mining, with the contributions offering interdisciplinary perspectives and utilising a wide range of methodologies. The realities, achievements and challenges faced by varying certification schemes are discussed, identifying common outcomes and findings and concluding with recommendations for future practice and research. The book is aimed at advanced students, researchers and professionals in agribusiness, natural resource economics, sustainability assessment and corporate social responsibility.