Sustainable palm oil certification inadvertently affects production efficiency in Malaysia
Journal
Communications Earth & Environment
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2025-03-12
Author(s)
Abstract
Sustainability certifications have rapidly gained prominence and become standards across many industries, yet knowledge about the potential unintended consequences of their criteria remains limited. Here, we use European Space Agency multispectral imagery satellite data in combination with economic and location data to investigate whether the certification process for palm oil production results in unintended consequences. Our results indicate decreases in plantation efficiency both prior to and following the certification obtainment. Our findings highlight the importance of considering possible unintended consequences of sustainability certifications beyond their immediate goals and criteria.
Funding(s)
Swiss National Science Foundation
GFF International Postdoc Fellowship University of St.Gallen
Language
English
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
Springer Nature (United Kingdom)
Volume
6
Number
200
Subject(s)