Collaborative Transformation The Art of Making International Trade More Sustainable

What does it take to make real change toward sustainability in international trade? IDH and its partners have spent the last 10 years learning the art of collaborative transformation, accumulating tacit knowledge on what works and what doesn’t to make change within the complexity of international trade. This book distills their insights, presenting 5 key dimensions that are critical for stakeholders to attend to while working toward sustainability. The relational dimension involves building and convening different stakeholders into strong and effective coalitions. Through the discursive dimension coalitions must forge a framework for a common future out of diverse interests and concerns. Collaborative transformation also involves an institutional dimension, as a variety of formal and informal structures lend critical support to the coalition’s efforts. And those involved must continually learn by critically inquiring into their ongoing work together: this is the reflective dimension. The fifth dimension concerns implementation: change only happens when tangible shifts are happening at many different levels – in the field, along the value chain, in business practices and in policy. To break down this complexity and to make it concrete, IDH gives examples from their partnerships involving a wide range of industries: from cotton to tea to cocoa. They show that collaborative transformations are not only possible: they hold the key to our shared future.