Researcher ORCID Identifier

0009-0004-9654-6805

Graduation Year

2025

Document Type

Open Access Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Environmental Analysis

Reader 1

Susan Phillips

Reader 2

Melinda Herrold-Menzies

Terms of Use & License Information

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Rights Information

2025CalliEONeal

Abstract

This thesis presents a holistic analysis of power dynamics within the global soybean value chain, through the evaluation of the trade relationship between Brazil and the European Union. In order to identify how critical decisions regarding sustainability are concentrated among a few dominant actors. Eight core stakeholder groups are mapped: land-use conversion actors, producers, traders, agro-input providers, financial institutions, regulatory bodies, NGOs, and key consumers, including meatpacking and animal feed companies. Multinational traders, who control approximately 80% of global soy trade, act as sustainability gatekeepers through their lobbying influence and control over supply chain narratives and are disincentivized from human soy consumption. Findings reveal that the soy supply chain is optimized for industrial use rather than food, with limited attention to its potential for direct human consumption. Due to vertical integration and cross-sector profitability, dominant actors are disincentivized from promoting soy as food, instead channeling it into livestock feed. This dynamic has suppressed more sustainable market pathways. Crucially, this thesis identifies an inverse relationship between direct human consumption of soy and overall soy demand, as soy competes nutritionally with animal products. Therefore, meaningful sustainability outcomes are less dependent on modifying production practices alone and more effectively driven by reorienting soy’s function in the global diet. Shifting demand toward food-grade soy can realign value chain incentives, reduce land use pressure, and support lower-impact, higher-value systems of production.

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