From Commoditisation to De‐commoditisation … and Back Again: Discussing the Role of Sustainability Standards for Agricultural Products

Abstract

Sustainability standards are flooding global agricultural markets. Standards, however, are not new. This article analyses, from a historical perspective, the implications of the transition from traditional to sustainability standards in the commoditisation/de‐commoditisation process. It shows how early standards contributed to the construction of the category of primary commodities and how, after a short attempt at de‐commoditisation (with the early fair‐trade and organic standards), sustainability standards are tending towards re‐commoditisation.