'Social stuff' and all that jazz: Understanding the residual category of social sustainability. Issue 112 (October 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Alexander, Karen A.; Amundsen, Vilde S.; Osmundsen, Tonje C.
• Is Part Of: Environmental science & policy. Issue 112(2020)
• Page Start: 61
• Page End: 68
• Publication Date: 2020-10
• Subjects: Sustainability -- Certification -- Social -- Indicators -- Aquaculture; Environmental policy -- Periodicals; Environmental sciences -- Periodicals; Environnement -- Politique gouvernementale -- Périodiques; Sciences de l'environnement -- Périodiques; Environmental policy; Environmental sciences; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 363.70561
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2020.06.003
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1462-9011

Abstract

Highlights: Social sustainability definitions are vague, and not easily operationalised. Aquaculture certifications address social sustainability, but it is not a focus. Indicators focus largely on workers' rights and links back to environment. Actions required rarely go over and above existing legal requirements. Abstract: Recently we have seen a substantial increase in pressure for industries, such as aquaculture, to become more sustainable. When it comes to practical attempts to operationalise sustainable development, however, the 'social stuff' is often neglected. In this paper, we provide a detailed exploration of how the concept of social sustainability is operationalised (and therefore understood) within the aquaculture certification context. We found that a) certification schemes do address social sustainability, but relevant indicators mostly focus on workers' rights, or link directly back to environmental sustainability (through the consequences of environmental impact on humans); and b) the actions required often add little over and above existing legal requirements. Essentially, aquaculture sustainability certification schemes have not (yet) taken the opportunity to further shape our understanding of what social sustainability means, or how it is practiced. The consequence of this may be the impression that industries are truly sustainable, just because they have obtained sustainability certification.