ABSTRACT
The legacy of trade practice has influenced society and the environment in such a way that even incrementally successful efforts to improve the situation are promoted. Sustainability certifications is one consistent mechanism used for three or more decades. They have demonstrated incremental yet variable benefits. In some cases, they have proven controversial, and certainly unique according to the support they provide toward embedding sustainability culture through extracting, producing, business and consumer activities and mentality, increasing understanding of what sustainable production, extraction and trade is.
The concluding chapter seeks to provide recommendations and ideas for future direction in research, evaluations and practice associated with sustainability certifications. Key findings and ideas from Chapters 2 to 4 are discussed and the outcomes found in Chapters 5 to 12 are identified, collated and compared. Key findings from each chapter are listed and recommendations are collated and presented to allow basic comparative considerations for future research and practice. Specific and more detailed recommendations for future research and practice are also summarised. These summaries, collations and comparisons lead to ideas for future developments and possibilities moving forward.
As the years dedicated to sustainability in production, extraction and trade of natural resources continue to increase, expecting further and advancing ambition from all stakeholders is reasonable. The market-based effort does allow a fast-tracking of sustainability practices and change within conventional markets and provides opportunity for newly developed markets which can be extremely valuable for improved sustainability. Outcomes must be substantiated and an increase in number of evaluations and improved and more consistent approaches to evaluation of outcomes are required.
