IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/jcmkts/v64y2026i2p811-834.html

Environmental Supply Chain Regulations in a Changing Market Environment: Exploring the EU's Regulatory Power in the Cocoa Sector in Ghana

Author

Listed:
  • Katharina Weber

Abstract

The article explores the European Union's (EU) regulatory power through supply chain initiatives, in the context of shifting market dynamics towards China and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Focusing on the EU Regulation on Deforestation‐free products (EUDR) and the cocoa sector in Ghana as a most likely case study, the article employs qualitative data from semi‐structured interviews to analyse the presence and potential of a Brussels effect. The findings suggest that whilst the EUDR could serve as a catalyst for ongoing sustainability and transparency efforts, emerging compliance structures contribute to the fragmentation of supply chains, reinforcing market segmentation. Moreover, the article argues that unilateral market access requirements tend to prioritise formal compliance over addressing substantive issues. The article highlights the complexities of externalising EU regulations, critically discussing the lack of normativity in the theoretical framework of the Brussels effect and raising questions about North–South relations in global regulatory power dynamics.

Suggested Citation

  • Katharina Weber, 2026. "Environmental Supply Chain Regulations in a Changing Market Environment: Exploring the EU's Regulatory Power in the Cocoa Sector in Ghana," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 64(2), pages 811-834, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jcmkts:v:64:y:2026:i:2:p:811-834
    DOI: 10.1111/jcms.70031
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.70031
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/jcms.70031?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:jcmkts:v:64:y:2026:i:2:p:811-834. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0021-9886 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.