CASE STUDY:

theArcticandtheAntarcticasasingleregion,butgiventhegoalsofthisparticularbook,groupingthemtogetherisalogicalchoice.)Insteadoftransitioningfromthecasestudiestothesectiononthepolarseas,however,thebookinsteadtransitionstoasectiononshingthatconsequentlyfeelsoutofplace.Overall,thisismoreofamissed opportunity than an organizational aw, but it is one that could havehelpedtostrengthenthecasestudies,bothpolarandotherwise,asanarrative.

Thecasestudiesareonlyhalfofthevolume,however.Inthelatterhalfofthebook, Harris brings together various chapters on nearly every element of oceangovernance investigated by modern scholars. There are considerations of interna-tional law focusing on whether the current maritime treaties are sufcient to thechallenge of ocean governance in a world with climate change and examining towhat extent they align with the separate climate change regime in internationallaw. Ori Sharon's contribution on the rights of low-lying small island states giventheexistentialthreatofsealevelriseisofparticularnotehere,asinternationallawremainsunclearwhathappenstostaterightsoncethestateisunderwaterandthuslacksstatehood.

Thesecondhalfofthebookalsoincludesdiscussionofanumberofissueareas predicted to become highly important in the near future. These includemarineshipping,oceanenergy,andcoralreefdegradation,amongothers.Theproblem of marine plastic pollution, for example, is well known, but Peter Stoettand Joanna Vince take an approach to the issue focused on climate change. Theypoint out that marine plastic pollution is not only a problem for the marineenvironmentbutalsomayinterferewiththeoceans'abilitytoabsorbCO₂,andthatbothplasticsandclimatechangeproblemsultimatelystemfromtheuseoffossil fuels. This climate change-centric approach provides a good overview ofboththenatureoftheproblemandthedifcultiesinndingsolutions.

Overall, this book provides a good overview of the current state of researchinto the intersection of ocean governance and climate change and makes animportantcontributiontotheliteratureonthetopic.Thecasestudiesarerelevant,providing examples that showcase various problems. Likewise, the combinedapproaches of law and policy make for an excellent interdisciplinary read, andtheparticularissuesexploredareallhighlyrelevantandofcurrentinterest.

van der Ven, Hamish. 2019. Beyond Greenwash? Explaining Credibility in TransnationalEco-Labeling.Oxford,UK:OxfordUniversityPress.

ReviewedbyThomasHickmann

UtrechtUniversity,CopernicusInstituteofSustainableDevelopment

Eco-labels have ourished over the past few years and today seem to be ubiqui-tous.Weencounterthemnotonlyingroceries,supermarkets,andwarehousesbutalsoincatalogsofshippingcruisesandadvertisementsforoffsettingcarbonemis-sionsfromightsorotherenvironmentallyharmfulpractices.Suchlabelspromise

122 BookReviews

thattheofferedbananas,coffee,orothergoodsandservicesmeetacertainenvi-ronmental standard or are in line with a given code of conduct. In Beyond Green-wash?ExplainingCredibilityinTransnationalEco-Labeling,HamishvanderVenbeginsfromhiscuriosity(whichisnicelydescribedintheacknowledgments)aboutwhetherthevariousexistinglabelsreallymeananythingahighlyrelevantconcernintimesofpressingsustainabilitychallengesandraisingawarenessamongconsumersabouttheenvironmentalimpactsoftheirpurchasingdecisions.Thelandscapeofeco-labelsiscertainlyfullofgreenwashingexercises,andvanderVen'sbooktakesthesepracticesintoaccount.Numerouscompanieshaverecentlybeen confronted with accusations of greenwashing, which basically connotes thatcorporate claims to build on eco-friendly modes of production or service deliveryaremisleadingorsimplyfalse.Yet,othercompaniesobviouslyputconsiderableeffortsintoenhancingtheirsustainablebehaviorandalsosetstandardsformanagingtheenvironmentalimpactofsupplierrms,potentiallyleadingtoachangeofglobalvaluechainsdowntolocalproducers.Thereisthusalargevariationbetweenthecred-ibilityofprevailingeco-labels,or,asvanderVenputsit,"credibleeffortstoaddressenvironmentalproblemsoftenexistalongsidesupercialgreenwash,andthetwoare

frequentlyindistinguishabletocasualobservers"(3).

Assessing the credibility of different eco-labels across policy domains is animportantendeavor,andvanderVen'sbooktakesupthischallenge.Tothisend,hedoesnotascouldperhapsbeexpectedlookatthecomplianceofcompanieswithparticulareco-labelstandardsbutevaluatestheadherenceofeco-labelingorganiza-tionstoso-calledbestpracticeguidelines.Suchbestpracticeguidelinesareformulatedbyinternationalorganizations,nongovernmentalorganizations,andassociationsofeco-labelingorganizationsandentailvariousprinciplesofgoodconductrelated,interalia,toaccountability,inclusiveness,andtransparency.VanderVenarguesthatsomeeco-labelingorganizationscomplywithbestpracticeguidelines,whileothersfailtodoso,whichiswhyhetreatstheseguidelinesas"areasonableproxyfortheoverallsincerityofan[eco-labelingorganization's]governanceefforts"(17).

Basedontheseconsiderations,thekeyresearchquestionraisedinthebookis,"[W]hydosometransnational[eco-labelingorganizations]followestablishedbestpracticesmorecloselythanothers?"(3,italicsoriginal).VanderVensituateshisstudyintheliteratureontransnationalgovernance.Heunderstandseco-labelingasaprimeexampleoftransnationalnewgovernancesinceitinvolvesquasi-authoritativerules,whichareappliedandspreadbymostlyprivateactorsbeyondnationalbordersandjurisdictions. Owing totheabsence ofacentralized authority andoversightwithinthisgovernancesphere,free-ridingisacommonandfrequentpractice.ThisframingunderlinestherelevanceofvanderVen'stworesearchgoals,thatis,rsttodistinguishbetweencredibleandnoncredibleeco-labelsandsecondtoexplainwhysomeeco-labelingorganizationsaremorereliable,otherslessso.Buildingonanoriginaldatabaseof123transnationaleco-labelingorganiza-tionsandacomprehensivetheoreticalframeworktoassessthecredibilityofdifferentlabelsintwocasestudies,vanderVendrawsonecentralconclusion.Hecontendsthateco-labelingorganizationswithalargertransnationalpresence

ThomasHickmann123

are generally more likely to adhere to best practice guidelines and hence possessmore procedural credibility than those with a smaller coverage and narrowerambitions. In other words, those eco-labeling organizations"that aim big byattemptingtocertifyalargeproportionofarelevantglobalmarketaredriventocloselyfollowbestpracticesoutofconcernforbothmaterialconsequencesanddemonstratingappropriatebehavior"(155).

Withthisargument,vanderVenaimstoprovideanovelexplanationforthevarianceinthecredibilityofeco-labels.Whilemostexistingstudiespointtoagencyandholdthatitismostimportantwhogovernsandsetsstandardsinwhatcontext(e.g.,governments,industryassociations,certicationentities,ornongovernmentalorga-nizations),hisbookhighlightsthatwhoisbeinggovernedbyprivatenormsandrulesalsomatters.Basedonhisempiricalndings,vanderVendrawsthewiderconclusion thatscholarsconcernedwithtransnationalrelationsshoulddevotemoreattentionto"thetargetsofgovernanceandnotsimplytheownersorsponsorsofgovernance"(161,italicsoriginal).Thisnovelperspectiveisamajorstrengthofthebook.

WhilevanderVen'sconclusionsaregenerallyconvincing,hedoesnotelab-orate in enough detail about how his ndings speak to existing scholarshipbeyondhisowntheoreticalandconceptualapproach.Relatedly,thebookremainsrelativelyvagueonthequestionofwhatexactlytheempiricalresultsaddtothewiderliteratureontransnationalgovernance.Thendingspresentedinthebookdonotchallengeorquestioncentralassumptionsofestablishedaccountsbutratherrene and complement previous knowledge. The claim made on the book's coverthattheanalysisupends conventionalwisdomseemstobe slightlyexaggerated.

Nonetheless,BeyondGreenwash?givessomenuancetoavibranteldandoffersa great read for students and practitioners interested in the potential and limits oftransnationalgovernance.Allinall,thebookconstitutesarigorousandpainstakinginvestigationofthecredibilitybehindeco-labelswithseveralillustrativeexamplesthatbringmoreclaritytoanunwieldyandrapidlychangingresearchlandscape.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Your essay will include the following components of the Ethical Decision-Making Model:

1. Highlight the stakeholders--Who was impactedpositively and negatively?
2. Apply the ethical principles of each theory--Ethical Egoism, Utilitarianism, Duty Ethics, Virtue Ethics, Social Contract TheoryEvaluate the issue according to each ethical theory.
3. Choose the most ethical option from your application of Ethical Egoism, Utilitarianism, Duty Ethics, Virtue Ethics, & Social Contract TheoryActing according to which ethical theory would have led to the most ethical action?
4. State your justificationGive reasons why acting according to one of these ethical theories would have been more ethical than the others.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Essay Format

INSTRUCTIONS:

Essay Format

= introduction

= explain the ethical issue

= Who impacted

= What should have been done or not done? What are the possibilities?

Section II

Argumentative portion of your essay:

Your Argument = Thesis & Supporting Points, as well as the rational justification for your Supporting Points

State yourThesis:

Then givejustificationfor your thesis:

• Write 1 paragraph for yourthesis and supporting points.

Section III

Supporting Points & Rational Justification

Argumentative portion of your essay:

Your Argument = Thesis & Supporting Points, as well as the rational justification for your Supporting Points

State yourThesis:

Then givejustificationfor your thesis:

• Write 1 paragraph for yourthesis and supporting points.

Similar write three more for supportive and argumentative

Section IV

Conclusion

• Briefly discuss the importance of at least one significant ethical point from the application of one of the four ethical theoriesthat you did not defendPart iii.
• Briefly consider how Socrates OR Plato OR Gilligan might offer a more or less ethically relevant approach to the issue

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

Answer Essay Introduction The ethical issue discussed in the given case study revolves around the credibility of transnational ecolabeling organizations and the importance of adhering to best practices in ecolabeling to address environmental concerns and promote sustainability Various stakeholders are impacted by the practices of these ecolabeling organizations both positively and negatively depending on the level of credibility and sincerity in their governance efforts Stakeholders Impacted Positively Impacted Consumers and environmentally conscious individuals benefit from credible ecolabels as they can make more informed purchasing decisions supporting sustainable practices Negatively Impacted Companies accused of greenwashing and consumers misled by misleading ecolabels suffer the negative impacts of false claims and lack of transparency in ecolabeling practices Ethical Principles Application 1 Ethical Egoism Acting in selfinterest stakeholders would value credible ecolabels to ensure they are making ethical and environmentally responsible choices in their consumption practices 2 Utilitarianism The principle of maximizing overall utility supports adhering to best practices in ecolabeling as it benefits society as a whole by promoting sustainability and responsible environmental practices 3 Duty Ethics Based on the idea of fulfilling ones obligations and responsibilities following best practice ... View the full answer