Gaining leverage: NGO influence on certification institutions in the forest products sector.

Sasser, Erika N.; Teeter, L.; Cashore, B.; Zhang, D.

doi:10.1079/9780851995991.0229

Cited by 30 publications

(32 citation statements)

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“…firms observing and responding to NGO pressure on their suppliers or customers, may be felt differentially among firms depending on their market position and their specific product mix. Because this variable has been very important in other cases (footwear and apparel, coffee), and even in the European forestry case, we consider it explicitly in our case studies (below) (Sasser, 2003;Gereffi et al, 2001;Klein, 1999).…”

Section: Ngo Political Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct Targeting as an NGO Political Strategy: Examining Private Authority Regimes in the Forestry Sector

Sasser¹,

et al. 2006

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In recent years, International Political Economy literature on “politics beyond state” has emphasized the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in broader policy processes, both national and international. In addition to their impact on states, NGOs influence the policies of non-state actors such as firms via public and private politics. Dissatisfied with the progress firms have made in response to public regulation, NGOs have sponsored private authority regimes in several issue areas and pushed firms to participate in them. Across the world, the contest between NGOs and firms has provoked substantial behavioral and programmatic change'including widespread participation in these private authority regimes'among firms seeking to escape NGO pressures. Using firm-level data, this paper examines why direct targeting has not led firms in the U.S. forest products sector to participate in an NGO-sponsored private authority regime, the Forest Stewardship Council. This global regime has been adopted widely in Europe, but U.S.-based forestry firms have tended to favor a domestic industry-sponsored regime, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. Our analysis suggests that the desire of firms to maintain control over their institutional environment in light of hostile relations with NGOs has led US-based firms to favor the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

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Section: Ngo Political Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct Targeting as an NGO Political Strategy: Examining Private Authority Regimes in the Forestry Sector

Sasser¹,

et al. 2006

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“…As noted previously, the FSC enjoyed major uptake in North America as a result of hundreds of protest actions over several years by environmental activists at Home Depot stores. Once Home Depot agreed to favor FSC products in its purchasing policies, its enormous market power leveraged FSC certification into place among large numbers of producers in (or wanting to be in) Home Depot's market chain (Sasser 2003). Other big retailers (Lowes, B&Q, OBI) did the same, thus cumulatively instituting FSC regulation in a substantial portion of the forestry sector (Cashore et al 2003;Meidinger 2008).…”

Section: Coercionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Usually, these are major branded retailers (e.g., Home Depot, Nike), but they may also be important wholesalers or producers (e.g., DeBeers) (Haufler 2009;Sasser 2003). The fact that the supply chains are often transnational networks generates complex regulatory dynamics.…”

Section: Supply Chain Leveragingmentioning

confidence: 98%

Forest certification and democracy

Meidinger

2010

Eur J Forest Res

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This paper explores the possibility that forest certification represents an important emerging form of transnational democracy. Because it is largely driven and administered by nonstate actors, forest certification can be seen as suffering a democracy deficit. However, because it stresses broad participation, intensive deliberative procedures, responsiveness to state law and widely accepted norms, and competition among regulatory programs to achieve effective implementation and widespread public acceptance, forest certification appears to stand up relatively well under generally understood criteria for democratic governance. Nonetheless, a more satisfactory evaluation will require a better understanding of how responsive certification programs are to diverse, emergent constituencies as well as which certification programs win regulatory competitions, and why.

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“…Pressure from retailers in Europe has led to requirements in the United States and other exporting countries to meet European environmental standards. ENGO pressure for social changes has been applied not only in the area of forest management, but also in relation to the labor, worker safety, and environmental practices of clothing manufacturers, chemical companies, and automobiles (Sasser, 2003;Ianuzzi, 2002).…”

Section: Public Pressurementioning

confidence: 99%