Investigating the Regulatory Structure of Voluntary Sustainability Standards: Foundations for Intervention Strategies to Increase Consumer Confidence

Regulation of voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) may increase their capacity to promote sustainable consumption. To determine if, when and where public or private institutions should intervene, an overview of the current regulatory structure of VSSs is needed. To provide such an overview the regulatory structure of 65 VSSs underlying sustainability food labels in the Dutch market was examined. This study shows a plurality of VSSs with different types of certification schemes, i.e. first-, second- or third-party certification, and with multiple actors involved. The majority of these VSSs resemble a structure where NGOs are highly involved in standard-setting and certification is mainly conducted through private, third-party certification. While these structural characteristics may be considered reliable and credible by consumers, several VSSs do not reflect this structure. The present coexistence of VSSs with different regulatory structures may negatively affect consumer confidence. Future research should aim to examine if, how and where private and public actors could intervene in the regulatory structures of VSSs to increase consumer confidence effectively.