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Assembling sustainable territories: space, subjects, objects, and expertise in seafood certification

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  • Peter Vandergeest
  • Stefano Ponte
  • Simon Bush

Abstract

The authors show how certification assembles ‘sustainable’ territories through a complex layering of regulatory authority in which both government and nongovernment entities claim rule-making authority, sometimes working together, sometimes in parallel, sometimes competitively. It is argued that territorialisation is accomplished not just through (re)defining bounded space, but more broadly through the assembling of four elements: space, subjects, objects, and expertise. Four case studies of sustainability certification in seafood are analyzed to show that ‘green gabbing’ is not necessarily the central dynamic in assembling sustainable territories, and that certification always involves state agencies in determining how the key elements that comprise it are defined. Whereas some state agencies have been suspicious of sustainability certification, others have embraced it or even used it to extend their sovereignty.The authors call for more nuanced understandings of sustainability certification as made up of multiple logics beyond the market.

Suggested Citation

  • Peter Vandergeest & Stefano Ponte & Simon Bush, 2015. "Assembling sustainable territories: space, subjects, objects, and expertise in seafood certification," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 47(9), pages 1907-1925, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:47:y:2015:i:9:p:1907-1925
    DOI: 10.1177/0308518X15599297
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kvalvik, Ingrid & Noestvold, Bjoerg H. & Young, James A., 2014. "National or supranational fisheries sustainability certification schemes? A critical analysis of Norwegian and Icelandic responses," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 137-142.
    2. Hatanaka, Maki & Bain, Carmen & Busch, Lawrence, 2005. "Third-party certification in the global agrifood system," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 354-369, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Roheim, Cathy A. & Zhang, Dengjun, 2018. "Sustainability certification and product substitutability: Evidence from the seafood market," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 92-100.

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