Eco-Standards, Product Labelling and Green Consumerism

by Boström, Magnus; Klintman, Mikael

• ISBN13: 9780230537378
• ISBN10: 0230537375
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780230584006
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-11-15
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• More Book Details
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Summary

Introduction: Green Consumerism, Green Labelling? The Historical Context Key Trends Green Labels and other Eco-Standards: A Definition The Consumers Role: Trusting, Reflecting or Influencing? Our Cases Sceptical and Encouraging Arguments Policy Contexts and Labelling Three Framing Strategies: From a Complex Reality to a Categorical Label Organizing the Labelling Dealing with Mutual Mistrust Green Labelling and Green Consumerism: Challenges and Horizons

Author Biography

MAGNUS BOSTRM is Associate Professor in Sociology and Environmental Lecturer at Sdertrn University College, Sweden. He studies environmental action, policy making, rule setting, green political consumerism, and sustainability projects in various sectors. He is co-editor of Organizing Transnational Accountability. 
 
MIKAEL KLINTMAN is Associate Professor at the Research Policy Institute, Lund University, Sweden. His research areas include environmental governance, ethical and political consumerism and the sociology of consumption. 

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables	p. viii
Acknowledgements	p. ix
List of Abbreviations	p. xi
Introduction: Green Consumerism, Green Labelling?	p. 1
Risk culture and eco-standards	p. 1
Four themes: politics, trust, differentiation, and mismatch	p. 4
Analysing labelling: outline	p. 11
Methodology and normative position	p. 14
The Historical Context - Key Trends	p. 17
Individualization	p. 19
Globalization	p. 20
Ecological modernization	p. 20
From production to consumption	p. 21
From government to governance, the rise of private authorities, and new rule-making	p. 24
Green Labels and Other Eco-Standards: A Definition	p. 27
Defining green labelling	p. 28
Other eco-standards	p. 31
The Consumers' Role: Trusting, Reflecting or Influencing?	p. 33
Green political consumerism	p. 33
Three views of policy tools and consumer roles	p. 40
Conclusion	p. 45
Our Cases	p. 46
Organic food labelling	p. 46
Forest certification and labelling	p. 50
GMs: no mandatory labelling in the United States, but labelling in the EU	p. 53
Marine certification and seafood labelling in Sweden	p. 55
Green electricity	p. 57
Green and ethical mutual funds (SRI funds)	p. 62
Paper labelling - the Swan versus Paper Profile	p. 65
Sceptical and Encouraging Arguments	p. 67
Market-oriented arguments	p. 68
Knowledge-oriented arguments about environment and health	p. 73
Green governance-oriented arguments	p. 76
Conclusion	p. 82
Policy Contexts and Labelling	p. 83
Theorizing policy context	p. 84
Political culture	p. 86
Existing rules and regulations: enabling, protecting or suppressing?	p. 95
Organizational landscape	p. 102
Materiality and technology	p. 106
Conclusion	p. 109
Three Framing Strategies: From a Complex Reality to a Categorical Label	p. 112
An introductory example: the moving and slippery nature of fish labelling	p. 112
The concept of framing	p. 114
Three framing strategies	p. 115
Boundary framing: to draw - or move - the line between the 'green' and the 'ordinary'	p. 117
Frame resolution: to resolve conflicts and turn diverging views into a uniform label	p. 122
Frame reflection: to increase the clarity and openness of labelling debates	p. 125
Conclusions: trade-off between the framing strategies?	p. 130
Organizing the Labelling	p. 132
Two perspectives on organizing: coalition and formal organization	p. 132
How to organize SMO-business interaction in labelling arrangements?	p. 136
Actors involved: interest, roles, and power	p. 144
Conclusion	p. 156
Dealing with Mutual Mistrust	p. 157
Introduction	p. 157
To trust or to mistrust: the role of repeated interaction	p. 157
Science and cognitive authorities	p. 161
Transparency and auditability	p. 168
Conclusion: towards mutual, reflective trust (among those involved)?	p. 174
Green Labelling and Green Consumerism: Challenges and Horizons	p. 175
Politics empowers labelling	p. 178
Reflective trust empowers labelling	p. 185
Symbolic differentiation empowers labelling	p. 188
How to empower the consumers	p. 194
Notes	p. 199
References	p. 212
Index	p. 231
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