Looking Behind the Label: Global Industries and the Conscientious Consumer

What does it mean when consumers shop with a conscience and choose products labeled as fair or sustainable? Does this translate into meaningful changes in global production processes? To what extent are voluntary standards implemented and enforced, and can they really govern global industries? Looking behind the Label presents an informative introduction to global production and ethical consumption, tracing the links between consumers' choices and the practices of multinational producers and retailers. Case studies of several types of products--wood and paper, food, apparel and footwear, and electronics--are used to reveal what lies behind voluntary rules and to critique predominant assumptions about ethical consumption as a form of political expression.

Author: Tim Bartley, Sebastian Koos, Hiram Samel
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Published: 05/25/2015
Pages: 296
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.90h x 6.00w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9780253016560

Review Citation(s):
Choice 12/01/2015

About the Author

Tim Bartley is Associate Professor of Sociology at The Ohio State University. He is co-editor of Regulation & Governance, an interdisciplinary, international journal focused on the past and present of industry regulation and the changing character of governance within and across countries.

Sebastian Koos is Assistant Professor of Corporate Social Responsibility, Department of Politics and Public Administration, University of Konstanz

Hiram Samel is Associate Professor of International Business, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

Gustavo Setrini is Assistant Professor of Food Studies at New York University.

Nik Summers is a PhD candidate in Sociology at Indiana University.