Successful workshop with Pieter Glasbergen on sustainability standards and certification

On Wednesday, 12th of July, the TRANS SUSTAIN team conducted a successful workshop in Münster with Prof. Pieter Glasbergen from Maastricht University. In the workshop, convened by TRANS SUSTAIN and supported by the smartNETWORK, the PhD candidates Janina Grabs and Andrea Estrella were invited to engage in a reflexive dialogue on research aims and methods. Furthermore, the TRANS SUSTAIN team was able to present its preliminary results on the comparative effectiveness of coffee sustainability standards on paper and in the field and received in-depth feedback from Prof. Glasbergen.

 During lunch time, a great number of visitors came to the brown bag talk, where PhD candidates as well as Master and Bachelor students had the opportunity to listen to Prof. Glasbergen’s presentation “Smallholder farmers do not eat certificates”. During this, the participants received great insight into the research of Prof. Glasbergen on coffee, cocoa and palm oil certification in Indonesia. Prof. Glasbergen presented evidence that let him to conclude that sustainability standards and certifications do not lead to systemic change.  

The possibility of engaging in critical dialogue on the basis of broad and comparative primary research results made the event particularly valuable for all participants. Overall, the whole-day workshop allowed the research group to draw interesting conclusions for further research in the field. The entire TRANSSUSTAIN team would like to thank Prof. Glasbergen for accepting its invitation and sharing his extraordinary experience with the students and members of the University of Münster.