Commodity agricultural production in tropical forest regions is rapidly expanding and is frequently linked to deforestation, increased emissions of greenhouse gases, losses in biodiversity, poor working conditions and wages, and land tenure conflicts. Voluntary certification programs are one type of intervention used to incentivize the agricultural commodity sector to improve sustainability. This research aims to analyze the role of voluntary certification programs in tropical landscapes. Specifically, how these programs are often challenged to boost producer participation and maintain high sustainability standards simultaneously. Together, these two factors control the additionality of the program, or its potential to motivate the industry to move beyond baseline conditions. More formal analysis is needed of the ways in which programs are structured to mitigate trade-offs between participation and high standards. This study considers these issues related to additionality from a value-creation perspective. The two case studies, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) voluntary certification program in Indonesia and the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) voluntary certification for cattle in Brazil, are used to illustrate the role of design choices in rendering sustainability outcomes.