Speaking

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I am a frequent speaker on sustainability, transparency, and consumer trends at conferences including the World Economic Forum, Fortune Brainstorm Green, the Wall Street Journal’s ECO:nomics conference, and Sustainable Brands. I also regularly present to companies, universities, and on the factory floors of plants in China, Vietnam, Indonesia and El Salvador. I have had the privilege of testifying before Congress. 

I am available for conference keynotes, moderating sessions, as well as smaller workshops. Please contact me for more information. 

Consulting

I sometimes consult to Governments, NGOs, communities, and even companies. My main areas of consulting are in supply chain management, corporate social responsibility, codes and monitoring, transparency and reporting systems, and consumer insights. For more information on my areas of research and consulting, please contact me. 

Public Interest Work

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I am engaged in a range of projects which seek to use research, analysis, and teaching to support solutions to public problems. In particular, I am interested in supporting grassroots, community-based initiatives which empower people to have a say in development, environment, health, and labor issues which affect their lives. 

Since the mid-90s, I have been studying global production around the world, and its impacts on workers, communities, and the environment. I have issued a number of reports on factory conditions in Vietnam, including "Smoke From a Hired Gun," which critiques Ernst & Young's monitoring of Nike factories in Vietnam. I have also worked with a coalition of groups in the US, Hong Kong, and China to conduct capacity building and training projects on health and safety issues in factories of US multinationals operating in China. 

More generally, I have helped to support independent monitoring systems for manufacturing practices around the world. I am currently working with a number of community groups in the U.S. to build the capacity of "fenceline communities" to monitor environmental emissions from industrial facilities. My research on the bucket brigades has built on this engagement with community groups and NGOs.