Sustainability Gridlock: Soy-Meat

This research paper evaluates the effectiveness of market-based governance in the soy-meat value chain, arguing that current supply chain initiatives are fragmented and fail to address systemic drivers of environmental impact. The authors advocate for a shift toward network governance to improve coordination and trust between global actors.

• Market-based governance in the soy-meat value chain is fragmented because actors at different stages face distinct risk factors: upstream soy traders focus on deforestation, while downstream actors prioritize animal welfare, climate change, and human health.
• Current supply chain initiatives are insufficient as they do not address the primary drivers of sectoral impacts, such as the global demand for cheap meat and land appreciation. Additionally, vertical integration in the sector limits the ability of business actors to impose sustainability norms without incurring costs or creating perverse outcomes.
• Poor coordination in market governance leads to low uptake of certification instruments and shifts costs and responsibilities onto soy producers. For example, the Amazon Soy Moratorium has resulted in the displacement of impacts onto other commodities and regions.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2019). Sustainability Gridlock: Soy-Meat. https://www.sei.org/publications/sustainability-gridlock-soy-meat/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Sustainability Gridlock: Soy-Meat. 2019. https://www.sei.org/publications/sustainability-gridlock-soy-meat/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Sustainability Gridlock: Soy-Meat |date=1 April 2019 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/sustainability-gridlock-soy-meat/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2019sustainability, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Sustainability Gridlock: Soy-Meat}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2019}, month = apr, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/sustainability-gridlock-soy-meat/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }