Dataset to: Do Voluntary Sustainability Standards Reduce Primary Forest Loss? A Global Analysis for Food Commodities.
Description
Dataset to the publication of Dröge et al. (2024) "Do Voluntary Sustainability Standards Reduce Primary Forest Loss? A Global Analysis for Food Commodities". We used annual certification data of seven VSS (Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, UTZ, 4C, Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), GlobalGAP, Organic) certifying five food commodities (cocoa, coffee, tea, palm oil, banana) and data on tree cover loss in humid tropical primary forest to study the impact of VSS on primary forest loss in 67 tropical countries. Using two generalised additive models (GAMs), one with VSS separately and one with VSS coverage aggregated, we found only Fairtrade to coincide with lower tree cover loss in primary forests at country level while we observed higher tree cover loss with higher certification for UTZ, RSPO and Organic. Using spatially explicit certification data in Google Earth Engine, we did not observe an effect of VSS on tree cover loss, thereby raising doubts on the potential of VSS to govern deforestation free supply chains.