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.

Acknowledgments
List of Commonly Used Acronyms
Introduction: Rules, Responsibilities, and Rights in the Global Economy
Part I: Making Sense of Conscientious Consumerism
1. The Making of Conscientious Consumers: Individual and National Patterns
2. Dilemmas of Conscientious Consumerism
Part II: Behind the Label: Global Production and the Meaning of Standards
3. Wood and Paper Products: Searching for Sustainability
4. Food: Global Agriculture and Local Development
5. Apparel and Footwear: Standards for Sweatshops
6. Electronics: The Hidden Costs of Computing
Conclusion: Beyond Conscientious Consumerism
Appendix
Notes
References
Index