Hyper-organized eco-labels - An organization studies perspective on the implications of Tripartite Standards Regimes

In this article, we analyze the specific tools used to organize global food governance: standards, certification and accreditation, to develop and enhance the discussion regarding Tripartite Standards Regimes (TSR). The dynamics and implications of TSRs are discussed through an in-depth process study of the organization of a Swedish eco-label and the two TSRs of which this labeling organization has been a part of between 1985 and 2016. Using the theoretical concept hyper-organization, the article shows the development of four and five-fold organizational layers of control. Two implications of the hyper-organized TSRs are highlighted: (1) Public authorities play a much greater part in global food governance than previous research has acknowledged. The role of the state, in turn, has implications for how legitimacy and responsibility are sought. (2) In the complex organization of standards, certification and accreditation, responsibility is diffused and very hard to locate. Surprisingly, as the role of public authorities in TSRs becomes clearer and more articulate, the system grows more complex, making responsibility even harder to locate.