Transformation of the dairy industry toward sustainability: The case of the organic dairy industries in the Netherlands and Thailand

After decades of promoting organic agriculture, organic dairy production and consumption have been widely embraced by industrialized countries and have recently emerged in newly industrialized countries, although they take different shapes in different countries. In this article, the development of organic dairy production and consumption in the Netherlands and Thailand are compared. We describe the different development pathways of the organic dairy sectors in these countries, highlighting the role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies of companies and the influence of economic, policy, and societal networks. It is shown that the Dutch societal network has been particularly influential in advancing organic dairy development, but such a network is almost absent in Thailand. In addition, the breakthrough of organic dairy products in the Netherlands resulted from the collaboration of economic, governmental, and societal actors, whereas such collaboration is not yet well developed in Thailand. The key factors for further development of the organic dairy industry are the expansion of CSR strategies of dairy processors on the one hand, and the linkage between CSR strategies, civil society initiatives, and governmental supports on the other hand.