Serhatli, UtkuPatron, Marta2024-09-232024-09-232023-06-022023-06-02http://hdl.handle.net/10362/172220The proliferation of certifications by private companies, allegedly aimed at aiding impoverished smallholder farmers advancing sustainability practices, underscores the necessity for an unbiased criterion to compare them. Through the application of the theory of change, enhanced by a coding system, the paper demonstrates that players within the cocoa industry, driven by their distinct final goals, adopt different standards, leading to a range of outputs and outcomes. The results shed light on how private companies prioritize their own objectives over the SDGs. It is essential to align private certifications with the SDGs to effectively tackle the challenges encountered by smallholder farmers.engSustainable operationsCertification systemsCocoa industryTheory of changeCoding systemSupply cChainmaster thesis203366077