
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.
This book investigates the factors that determine the credibility of transnational eco-labeling organizations and whether they effectively address environmental challenges or merely engage in greenwashing. Hamish van der Ven, an expert in environmental governance, utilizes a systematic analysis of eco-labeling practices across various commercial sectors and countries. He presents a novel theory suggesting that the credibility of an eco-label is primarily determined by the nature of the businesses it targets rather than the identity of the organization managing the label. By examining the incentives of corporate clients, the author challenges traditional assumptions regarding who is best positioned to govern environmental standards.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Experts in environmental policy and corporate governance recognize this work as a significant contribution to the study of private environmental regulation. Readers frequently note the academic rigor of the prose and the author's ability to challenge conventional wisdom regarding the efficacy of non-governmental versus governmental oversight.
Page Count:
240
Publication Date:
2019-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190866012
ISBN-13:
9780190866013
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