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Beyond Greenwash: Explaining Credibility in Transnational Eco-Labeling

Autor Hamish van der Ven
en Limba Engleză Hardback – 9 mai 2019
From green frogs and blue angels to white bunnies, modern consumers are confronted by a growing array of colorful eco-labels on everything from coffee to computers. When eco-labels are credible, they can lead to dramatic change in environmental practices broadly and quickly by leveraging the purchasing power of corporate clients (e.g., Walmart and McDonalds) to influence global supply chains. But the credibility of such labels is highly variable; and despite the existence of established practices for eco-labeling, many labels remain little more than superficial exercises in "greenwash." How can consumers separate greenwash from genuine attempts to address environmental challenges? Beyond Greenwash addresses this question by systematically investigating the credibility of transnational eco-labeling organizations across countries and commercial sectors. Using an innovative proxy measure for credibility that examines adherence to established best practices, Hamish van der Ven proposes a novel theory of rigor and credibility in transnational eco-labeling that upends conventional wisdom. He argues that the credibility of an eco-label does not depend on who creates or manages it-whether a government, industry association, professional standard setter, or environmental NGO. Rather, it depends on which types of businesses use the label. More specifically, eco-labeling organizations that target bigger, consumer-facing retailers tend to create credible eco-labels out of a desire to insulate their clients from critical scrutiny and gain acceptance in new markets. This theory challenges the conventional wisdom that only governments or environmental NGOs can create meaningful environmental governance and suggests that who is being governed matters as much, if not more, than who is doing the governing.
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Specificații

ISBN-13: 9780190866006
ISBN-10: 0190866004
Pagini: 248
Dimensiuni: 236 x 160 x 25 mm
Greutate: 0.48 kg
Editura: Oxford University Press
Colecția OUP USA
Locul publicării:New York, United States

Recenzii

This book is a great read for anyone interested in ecolabelling as a form of global environmental governance. It speaks to practitioners and scientists alike, whether coming from a political, business, corporate social responsibility (CSR), or sustainable consumption background.
Beyond Greenwash is an insightful analysis of transnational ecolabels that documents how ecolabels with global ambitions-termed aiming big-face social and organizational processes that push them to become more procedurally credible for transnational audiences. Conventional thinking might predict the opposite, but van der Ven shows that aiming big brings critical scrutiny, demands for stakeholder democracy, and organizational capacity all of which help ecolabels to adopt emerging procedural norms about what it means to be a credible ecolabel. This book is essential reading for those interested in transnational governance, how it works, and how it can be improved.
His finding that those that 'aim big' don't just apply to his subjects, but also to his own scholarly effort: an extraordinary feat that promises to shake up not only the research on private governance, but also for generating insights about when, and how, government and non-state actors might draw on, or eschew, the power of the market to address particular problems. The results are theoretically, conceptually, and empirically ground breaking.
In a world rife with fake news, it might be tempting to dismiss eco-labels as little more than a marketing tool for big business. Yet, as Hamish van der Ven's trailblazing analysis reveals, even as sham-labeling proliferates, a surprising number of eco-labels are credible and valuable. Why? Read this inspiring book to find out and gain a deep understanding of the cutting-edge trends in transnational environmental governance.
Great book with both theoretical and practical importance regarding the changing nature of global governance. The author explores this through the lens of eco-labeling, arguing persuasively that larger programs targeting a broader audience are more credible than smaller boutique ones. He uses an innovative measure of best practices in eco-labeling to make his case. I plan to assign this book in class to introduce students to these issues.
Engaging, scholarly, positive and critical. This is a great contribution to a sometimes puzzling, but important, subject.
If you have ever stared at an eco-label on a product and wondered where it came from, what it means, and whether you should believe that it denotes anything meaningful, this pathbreaking book is for you. van der Ven explains why some of the now ubiquitous eco-labels deploy best practices, when many others do not. He finds that the labeling organizations who 'aim big'-pursuing transnational credibility, recognition and sustainability standards across multiple markets-are more likely to influence global value chains and establish more inclusive governance. This research draws 'big lessons from small labels' for global environmental governance of all kinds.

Notă biografică

Hamish van der Ven is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and School of Environment at McGill University. He teaches and pursues research on the growing role of businesses and civil society groups in global environmental governance. His work has been published in Global Environmental Politics, Review of International Studies, Regulation & Governance, Review of International Political Economy, Global Environmental Change, and several other peer-reviewed journals.