Governance of sustainability standards in new farmers collective’s brands: the case of Occitania dairy sector[La gouvernance des standards de durabilité dans les nouvelles marques collectives portées par des producteurs : le cas du secteur laitier en Occitanie]

This paper questions the implementation of sustainability standards in five brands established by farmers collectives located in Occitania, France. It analyses the content of the standards and their governance. It is based on a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews and an analysis of documents regarding each brand' standards. It uses a framework based on the literature about the governance of international sustainability standards in agriculture. Our results highlight the variety of the standards adopted and their hybrid public-private governance. These new brands not only display the image of a local product but also integrate environmental claims, using both predefined general standards and tailor-made ones.