Power and sustainability governance in the soy-animal protein global value chain

In this article, we provide a theoretical and substantive contribution to the emergent literature on hybrid sustainability governance through a critical engagement with Global Value Chain and Transnational Environmental Governance literatures. The empirical focus is the soy-animal protein chain in Brazil and its strong association with deforestation. Departing from an early characterisation of Brazilian soy as a bipolar value chain, we offer an account of its gradual reconfiguration to meet sustainability objectives. We contend that chain governance has evolved from bipolar to multipolar while sustainability considerations have become embedded, moving from strictly market-based mechanisms to hybrid and mandatory requirements. We argue that a multipolar characterisation allows us to account for the interactions between chain governance dynamics and out-of-the-chain actors, particularly for incorporating sustainability mandates into chain governance.