In recent years private standards have become a predominant driver in global supply chains for agricultural and food products. The Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) have emerged in response to the regulatory development of non-tariff measures, reputational risks faced by leading firms in supply chains and, more directly, consumer concerns. Certification labels, a market-based solution, can help bring to the surface hidden attributes and transform them into tangible search attributes, hence promote competitive strategies of product differentiation and position in markets for high-value agricultural and food products.

A top priority over the coming years will be to encourage more inclusive societies and green competitive economies. Therefore, increasing the share of global traded goods with VSS will relay on policy making as well as improved business decision-making. Governments and enterprises, namely small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), can gain much when understanding the current patterns of agricultural trade, the implications of market integration and efficient commodity markets spatial price linkages of certifiable products. Thus, in this research a product-based trade model analysis is proposed to better comprehend the worthlessness of certification as a mean to overcome emerging trade barriers related to both social and environmental assurance, whilst provide policy advise to enhance the market approach for SMEs.