Circularities and proximities within resource valuation systems: insights from territory-based initiatives in the forestry sector

Abstract

The multiplication of local-based labelling systems in the forestry sector seems to echo a growing pressure from both globalization and sustainability expectations. Recent prospects in territorial economics invite us to consider not only the way specific resources are activated, but the terms of their valuation as well. We do this through the examination of six case studies in three French mountain ranges: the Alps, the Vosges and the Jura. We analyse the way institutionalized groups of actors shape and use value portfolios and highlight their role in implementing new types of circularities. We show that wood product labels are increasingly built upon territorial values, notably through the activation of various forms of proximities (spatial and relational). Although very recent, these initiatives attempt to legitimize themselves as ‘counter-norms', questioning the dominant production-distribution model.