Welcome!

I am an associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley, the co-founder of GoodGuide, and a Senior Principal Scientist working with Amazon.com. I study the environmental, social, and health impacts of global production systems and new strategies of governance. I am currently conducting research on a number of global supply chains - from resource extraction, to manufacturing, to use and disposal. I am interested in governmental and non-governmental strategies for monitoring and accountability over production systems, and new models of public participation in environmental and labor policy. I am also leading a team of researchers focused on analyzing and improving the quality of information available to consumers on the social, environmental, and health impacts of products and companies; researching the impacts of this information on consumer behavior; and developing tools to better deliver information to consumers that actually supports behavior change. I currently teach courses on environmental policy, environmental justice, sustainable consumption, and global supply chains. If you are interested in applying to Berkeley for graduate studies, please read my note to prospective students before contacting me. I also occasionally do speaking engagements, consulting, and public interest work. Please contact me to discuss related work. 

GoodGuide in the Naked Brand
“Productivity, Profits, and Pay: A Field Experiment Analyzing the Impacts of Compensation Systems in an Apparel Factory”. Available."
"The Science of Sustainable Supply Chains" in Science Magazine. 
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The science of sustainability measurement has progressed alongside efforts to advance supply chain traceability, impact assessment, and aggregation of data into sustainability indicators. Advances in life-cycle assessment (LCA) and product “footprinting” are increasingly being deployed in efforts to turn data into decision-support tools for global brands and retailers. However, the speed and dynamism of modern supply chains creates challenges for incorporating sustainability data into sourcing decisions. Better data, decision-support tools, and incentives are needed to move from simply managing supply chains for costs, compliance, and risk reduction, to predicting and preventing unsustainable practices.

Shopping for Good

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The Boston Review invited me to lead a debate on the idea that better-informed shoppers can make ethical decisions about the way they shop, helping to create a more just and environmentally-friendly global economy. This month, my essay and a debate with experts from around the country was published as a book: Shopping for Good.