International spillovers in SDG implementation

The document examines the soy value chain from Argentina to Europe, highlighting how environmental and social costs are externalized to the producer. It argues that achieving SDGs 12 and 17 requires consumption-based accounting and bilateral cooperation to manage these spillovers.

• The soybean value chain exhibits an asymmetric distribution of impacts: economic effects are generally positive, social impacts are mixed, and environmental impacts are predominantly negative and concentrated in Argentina. Europe avoids these negative environmental costs by externalizing production.
• Soybean production in Argentina has significant environmental costs, including soil fertility loss, erosion, and pesticide use. Deforestation in northwestern Argentina occurs at a rate of 300,000 hectares per year, and GHG emissions from soy cultivation and land use change account for over half of Argentina's total agricultural GHG emissions, totaling approximately 35 million tons of CO2-equivalent.
• Social impacts in Argentina are contradictory; while the sector has created formal jobs with better labor conditions (33% of workers are registered employees), it has destroyed informal jobs and negatively affected the land rights of indigenous peoples and villagers. The workforce is heavily skewed toward males, though women in formal roles often hold better-paid positions.
• Europe is a primary driver of these impacts, responsible for approximately 26% of the environmental and socio-economic effects of Argentine soybean cultivation. The majority of soy imported to Europe is used for animal feed.
• Current SDG monitoring is incomplete because it fails to account for asymmetric spillovers. This creates a distorted picture of progress, where European countries rank high in the SDG Index while Argentina ranks lower (45 out of 162), despite Europe's consumption driving impacts in Argentina.
• To mitigate negative spillovers, the document recommends that the EU diversify feed crops, revise the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to promote local production, and integrate sustainability practices into trade agreements like the EU-Mercosur agreement.
• Argentina should focus on sustainable intensification, diversifying agricultural exports to reduce dependency on a single crop, and continuing the enforcement of the Forest Law of 2007, which has already reduced soy-related deforestation by 50%.

APA

Hoff, H., Monjeau, A., Gomez-Paredes, J., Frank, F., Rojo, S., Malik, A., & Adams, K. (2019). International spillovers in SDG implementation. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/191120a-gill-hoff-soy-spillovers-pb-1910c.pdf

Chicago

Hoff, Holger, Adrian Monjeau, Jorge Gomez-Paredes, Federico Frank, Sofia Rojo, Arunima Malik, and Kevin Adams. International spillovers in SDG implementation. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2019. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/191120a-gill-hoff-soy-spillovers-pb-1910c.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hoff |first1=Holger |last2=Monjeau |first2=Adrian |last3=Gomez-Paredes |first3=Jorge |last4=Frank |first4=Federico |last5=Rojo |first5=Sofia |last6=Malik |first6=Arunima |last7=Adams |first7=Kevin |title=International spillovers in SDG implementation |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=November 2019 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/191120a-gill-hoff-soy-spillovers-pb-1910c.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hoff2019international, author = {Hoff, Holger and Monjeau, Adrian and Gomez-Paredes, Jorge and Frank, Federico and Rojo, Sofia and Malik, Arunima and Adams, Kevin}, title = {{International spillovers in SDG implementation}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2019}, month = nov, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/191120a-gill-hoff-soy-spillovers-pb-1910c.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }