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Leveraging the Vertical: The Contested Dynamics of Sustainability Standards and Labour in Global Production Networks

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  • Maja Tampe

Abstract

Sustainability standards for tropical agriculture promise better trade and fairer labour conditions for smallholders. Recent research on labour suggests that, besides such standards, configurations of buyer–supplier relationships crucially shape economic and labour conditions. However, a static configurational approach overlooks the role of supplier and labour agency over time. Using a matched case comparison of two certified rural enterprises in Ecuador, this article shows that suppliers can leverage standards to create value from vertical relationships with buyers. However, standards do not, by themselves, directly contribute to better conditions. They do so indirectly only if suppliers manage to become competitive in an elite market, augmenting rather than dampening unequal trade conditions. This study contributes to recent theory seeking to explain uneven labour outcomes with sustainability standards in global production networks.

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  • Maja Tampe, 2018. "Leveraging the Vertical: The Contested Dynamics of Sustainability Standards and Labour in Global Production Networks," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 56(1), pages 43-74, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:brjirl:v:56:y:2018:i:1:p:43-74
    DOI: 10.1111/bjir.12204
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    Cited by:

    1. Tampe, Maja, 2021. "Turning rules into practices: An inside-out approach to understanding the implementation of sustainability standards," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    2. Céline Louche & Lotte Staelens & Marijke D’Haese, 2020. "When Workplace Unionism in Global Value Chains Does Not Function Well: Exploring the Impediments," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 162(2), pages 379-398, March.
    3. Mevan Jayasinghe & Larry W. (Chip) Hunter, 2020. "The Impact of Suppliers’ Adoption of Voluntary Labour Codes/Certifications on Job Quality in Global Supply Chains: The Sri Lankan Case of Garments without Guilt," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 58(4), pages 844-873, December.
    4. Robert C. Bird & Vivek Soundararajan, 2020. "The Role of Precontractual Signals in Creating Sustainable Global Supply Chains," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 164(1), pages 81-94, June.
    5. Vera Sadovska & Lena Ekelund Axelson & Cecilia Mark-Herbert, 2020. "Reviewing Value Creation in Agriculture—A Conceptual Analysis and a New Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-22, June.
    6. Janina Grabs & Graeme Auld & Benjamin Cashore, 2021. "Private regulation, public policy, and the perils of adverse ontological selection," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(4), pages 1183-1208, October.

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