Dimensions of Sustainability in Origin Schemes: An Approach from Protected Appellation of Origin

Abstract

Territorial resources sustainability, especially those with a great linkage to local agronomic, social or cultural conditions, could be globally recognized through Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) figures, which emphasizes food qualities based on its origin. Nonetheless, a coherent analytical framework around this PDO’s sustainability, from a multidimensional perspective (economic, sociocultural and environmental), is needed. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to propose an analytical framework based on coding principles of Grounded Theory, to operationalize sustainability’s three dimensions; this by performing a systematic literature review methodology under Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method. From this screening process 21 papers were selected, and 27 theoretical revised codes were proposed to operationalize sustainability. The results showed that economic dimension had the highest weight on the sustainability matter, being “consumer’s behavior” code the most mentioned one; in second place “product’s identity” (a sociocultural code that reflects product’s territorial embeddedness) position itself, followed by “certifications to improve quality” (and environmental code). This results because PDO recognition is obtained through a certification process that guarantees the presence of certain socio-cultural elements and environmental qualities, turning food-goods into value-added items.