Stakeholders’ perspectives on credible certification schemes and labels for a sustainable EU bioeconomy

Abstract Certification schemes and labels (CSLs) are essential instruments for promoting sustainability across borders and managing risks in biomass supply chains. Their relevance in the EU bioeconomy is growing, yet concerns regarding their credibility and functioning persist. Existing studies on these issues are often fragmented and case-specific. The experiences and views of stakeholders across various biobased value chains regarding the credibility and performance of CSL are rarely reported. This study examined stakeholder perspectives across the bio-based value chain to identify critical factors influencing CSLs’ credibility and functioning via an online survey (58–82 responses per survey question), followed by seven in-depth expert interviews. Credibility and functioning of CSLs were assessed using the ISEAL credibility principles. Most respondents consider CSLs essential for providing sustainability assurance. However, they raised crucial concerns that are perceived to undermine CSL functioning and credibility: proliferation of CSLs, weak assurance systems, impartiality of the system, limited value creation and inadequate impact demonstration. The findings show that perceptions of CSL credibility differ across stakeholder groups and between CSLs in general and specific schemes. Our study identified interrelated factors on which CSLs could act to address the concerns raised: (1) imbalances in stakeholder representation; (2) conflict of interest, particularly dependencies between auditors, CSL owners, and certificate holders; (3) lack of transparency in the certification process; (4) lack of collaboration amongst CSLs and value chain actors; (5) limited scope and low ambition; (6) limited demonstration of measurable progress; and (7) limited value creation for producers. By examining these perspectives, our findings highlight opportunities for targeted improvements for CSLs and greater collaboration among stakeholders.