The sustainability governance of global supply chains: transnational approaches and the neglect of local development agendas

The expansion of soy and beef production in Brazil in the past decades has strongly been driven by the increasing demand for meat and dairy products from European countries and China. These sectors have not only led to deforestation and global climate change, but they have also contributed to a dispossession of local communities, smallholders and indigenous peoples from their access to land, livelihoods and (clean) water. This book chapter first maps diverse transnational private and public governance approaches with the aim to address the negative externalities of agro-commodity chains from Brazil. Among these governance initiatives are the Soy Moratorium and Cattle Agreements, sustainability certification standards, zero-deforestation commitments and, more recently, mandatory due diligence laws adopted by European countries and currently discussed at EU level. Thereafter, based on data from field research in Brazil and Europe, semi-structured interviews and document analyses, the chapter shows that the contribution of the governance initiatives to reduce adverse impacts has been limited by unfavorable domestic politics and policies in Brazil, such as institutions that have incentivized and legalized the appropriation of land via deforestation (‘land grabbing’) and flawed environmental impact assessments (EIA). Furthermore, Schilling-Vacaflor argues that existing governance initiatives tend to focus on specific environmental impacts associated with soy and beef production (mainly deforestation), while overlooking other negative impacts that are of fundamental importance for local communities.