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Virtually the Reality: Negotiating the Distance between Standards and Local Realities When Certifying Sustainable Aquaculture

Author

Listed:
  • Vilde S. Amundsen

    (Department of Sociology and Political Science, Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences, NTNU—Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway
    Studio Apertura, NTNU Social Research, Dragvoll allé 38 B, 7049 Trondheim, Norway)

  • Tonje C. Osmundsen

    (Studio Apertura, NTNU Social Research, Dragvoll allé 38 B, 7049 Trondheim, Norway)

Abstract
To account for the many challenges of increasingly global industries, remote regulation measures such as sustainability standards have become continuously more important as a means to ensure global accountability and transparency. As standard certification is assessed through audits, the legitimacy of these standards rests on uncritically evoked norms of auditing, such as independence and objectivity. In this paper, we seek to investigate the claim of these norms as a prerequisite for the audit process of sustainability standards. Based on interviews and fieldwork in the salmon aquaculture industry, we explore how it is possible to concurrently uphold the standard and account for the different conditions of the many local realities. Our findings point to the interactional character of audits, often downplayed for legitimacy purposes, and how this is vital to achieve both ‘distance for neutrality’ and ‘proximity for knowledge production’. We argue for increased transparency concerning the human element of sustainability auditing, thus acknowledging the significance of reciprocal knowledge production when using standards as a route towards sustainability.

Suggested Citation

  • Vilde S. Amundsen & Tonje C. Osmundsen, 2019. "Virtually the Reality: Negotiating the Distance between Standards and Local Realities When Certifying Sustainable Aquaculture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-10, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:9:p:2603-:d:228635
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Laurence Vigneau & Michael Humphreys & Jeremy Moon, 2015. "How Do Firms Comply with International Sustainability Standards? Processes and Consequences of Adopting the Global Reporting Initiative," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 131(2), pages 469-486, October.
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    5. Axel Marx & Miet Maertens & Johan Swinnen & Jan Wouters (ed.), 2012. "Private Standards and Global Governance," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 14250.
    6. Esther Turnhout & Katja Neves & Elisa de Lijster, 2014. "‘Measurementality’ in Biodiversity Governance: Knowledge, Transparency, and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (Ipbes)," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 46(3), pages 581-597, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Schilling-Vacaflor, Almut & Lenschow, Andrea & Challies, Edward & Cotta, Benedetta & Newig, Jens, 2021. "Contextualizing certification and auditing: Soy certification and access of local communities to land and water in Brazil," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    2. Rector, M.E. & Filgueira, R. & Grant, J., 2021. "Ecosystem services in salmon aquaculture sustainability schemes," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    3. Muhammad Kamran Khalid & Mujtaba Hassan Agha & Syed Tasweer Hussain Shah & Muhammad Naseer Akhtar, 2020. "Conceptualizing Audit Fatigue in the Context of Sustainable Supply Chains," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-11, November.

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