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. Choose a case which is discussed in a scholarly article or scholarly book, and explain the ethical issue: Why is it an ethical issue?
2. Think through the options of the issue: Given the scenario, the events, the actions or inactions discussed within the case, what should have beendone instead?
3. Highlight the stakeholders--Who was impactedpositively and negatively?
4. Apply the ethical principles of each theory--Ethical Egoism, Utilitarianism, Duty Ethics, Virtue Ethics, Social Contract TheoryEvaluate the issue according to each ethical theory.
5. 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?
6. State your justificationGive reasons why acting according to one of these ethical theories would have been more ethical than the others.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Essay Format

Section I

Introduction (Introductory portion of your essay): (2 pages)

1. Introduce the case study, including the topic and the context. (1 paragraph or more)

2. Explain the ethical issue --What is the ethical issue? (1 paragraph or more)

3. Who is impacted? --Highlight the stakeholders (1 paragraph or more)

4. What should have been done or not done? What are the possibilities? State the options (1 paragraph or more)

Section I will be a maximum of two pages in length. (2 pages maximum double spaced)

Section II

Argumentative portion of your essay:

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

5. State yourThesis:The most ethically relevantChoicefor this issue is the __________ ethical theory ...

• The following is a samplethesis which you may use if you like:

Acting according to Kant's Duty Ethicswould have led to the most ethical action in the context of the issue of ________.

6. Then givejustificationfor your thesis:

• i.e., State yoursupporting points in the order in which they will appear in your essay.
• Write 1 paragraph for yourthesis and supporting points.

Section III

Supporting Points & Rational Justification

Part1.

Supporting point 1:

• e.g., Acting according to Kant's Duty Ethics on this issue would lead to a more ethical action than acting according to Utilitarianism (Bentham/Mill)..

• After you state your supporting point clearly, applyKant's Duty Ethics.Apply the key ideas to the issue and evaluate the issue according to Kant's Duty Ethics.
• Then applyUtilitarianism. Apply the key ideas of Bentham & Mill to the issue and evaluate the issue according to Utilitarianism.

• Justification of Supporting Point 1.: Based on your evaluations above,compare the two ethical theories, and give at leasttwo reasons why you thinkKant's Duty Ethics is more ethically relevant thanBentham's & Mill's Utilitarianism on this issue. Explain.

Part 2.

Supporting point 2:

• e.g.,Acting according to Kant's Duty Ethics on this issue would lead to a more ethical action than acting according to Aristotle's Virtue Ethics..

• After you state your supporting point clearly, applyAristotle'sVirtue Ethics.Apply the key ideas to the issue and evaluate the issue according to Virtue Ethics.

• Justification of Supporting Point 2. Based on your evaluations above,comparethe two ethical theories, and give at leasttwo reasons why you thinkKant's Duty Ethics is more ethically relevant thanAristotle's Virtue Ethics on this issue. Explain.

Part 3.

Supporting Point 3:

• e.g., Acting according to Kant's Duty ethics would lead to a more ethical action than acting according to Ethical Egoism on the issue of ...

• After you state your supporting point clearly,applyEthical Egoism, including Enlightened Self-Interest. Apply the key points to the issue and evaluate the issue according to Ethical Egoism..

• Justification of Supporting PointBased on your evaluations,compare the two ethical theories, and give at leasttwo reasons why you thinkKant's Duty Ethics is more ethically relevant to this issue thanEthical Egoism. Explain.

Part 4.

Supporting point 4:

• e.g., Acting according to Kant's Duty ethics would lead to a more ethical action than acting according to Social Contract Theory on the issue of ...

• After you state your supporting point clearly, apply theSocial Contract Theory of Hobbes.Apply the key points of Hobbes' Social Contract Theory & evaluate the issue according to Social Contract Theory..

• Justification of Supporting Point. Based on your evaluations, compare the two ethical theories, and give at leasttwo reasons why you thinkKant's Duty Ethics is more ethically relevant to this issue thanHobbes' Social Contract Theory. Explain.

Section IV

Conclusion (1 page)

Part i.

• e.g.,Therefore, it has been demonstrated that Kant's Duty Ethics would lead to the most ethical action when applied to the issue of ...
• Summarize your main reasons from parts 1, 2, 3 & 4.

Part ii.

• Briefly discuss the importance of at least one significant ethical point from the application of one of the four ethical theoriesthat you did not defend. (Since this essay sample defends Kant, the significant point would come from the application of Aristotle or Mill, etc.)

Part iii.

• Briefly consider how Socrates OR Plato OR Gilligan might offer a more or less ethically relevant approach to the issue.