The Prospects and Limits of Eco-Consumerism: Shopping Our Way to Less Deforestation?

Dauvergne, Peter and Jane Lister (2010). The Prospects and Limits of Eco-consumerism: Shopping our way to less deforestation? Organization & Environment. 23(2), 132-54.

23 Pages Posted: 29 Mar 2012 Last revised: 15 Jun 2013

See all articles by Peter Dauvergne

Peter Dauvergne

University of British Columbia (UBC) - Liu Institute for Global Issues

Jane Lister

Liu Institute for Global Issues

Date Written: March 15, 2010

Abstract

Firms and governments are increasingly turning to voluntary programs such as eco-certification and eco-labeling as core instruments for managing forests. To probe the prospects and limits of this shift toward eco-consumerism as a mechanism for global change, this article analyzes its value for improving forest management globally. It reveals that eco-consumerism is improving some aspects; yet, for both supply and demand-side reasons, the advances are incremental and unequal and overall doing little to slow deforestation. The article therefore highlights the danger of overestimating the potential of voluntary eco-certification and advances a set of policy and management solutions to enhance the effectiveness of eco-consumer initiatives such as forest certification. Solutions include internal incremental adjustments to certification programs, coordinated alongside more fundamental external systemic changes in the marketing, industrial use, and valuation of the world’s forests.

Keywords: eco-certification, private environmental governance, self-regulation, corporate social responsibility, forestry, eco-consumerism, sustainable development

Suggested Citation

Dauvergne, Peter and Lister, Jane, The Prospects and Limits of Eco-Consumerism: Shopping Our Way to Less Deforestation? (March 15, 2010). Dauvergne, Peter and Jane Lister (2010). The Prospects and Limits of Eco-consumerism: Shopping our way to less deforestation? Organization & Environment. 23(2), 132-54., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2030518

Peter Dauvergne (Contact Author)

University of British Columbia (UBC) - Liu Institute for Global Issues

6476 NW Marine Drive
Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z2
Canada

Jane Lister

Liu Institute for Global Issues ( email )

6476 NW Marine Drive
Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z2
Canada
604-822-8061 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.ligi.ubc.ca/?p2=/modules/liu/scholars/profile.jsp&id=3

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