S101—Sociology of Environment

Professor Bartley, Fall 2004

Your task is to choose a product and trace it back to its sources. Please read the assignment sheet from last week very carefully before you start. Remember to cite your sources! Here are a few hints and a bunch of potential sources of information.

• There’s no magic formula for doing a commodity chain analysis. It requires you to be imaginative, persistent, inventive, and outgoing. This guide suggests some questions that you may want to consider and some resources for finding answers. Use it, but don’t forget to also use your imagination and your best detective skills.

• In most cases, you won’t be able to simply walk through these questions and be finished. Instead, you’ll be cycling through these questions several times as you work through different spots in the commodity chain or different ingredients in the product you’ve chosen. For example, if you were investigating the sources of a 12-pack of Miller Lite, you would want to consider not only where the ingredients of the beer came from, but also where the cans and cardboard packaging came from (and how they were produced), how the product got from its place(s) of production to the place where you bought it, and possibly even where the cans will go when you’re done with them.

• Search engines (like Google) can sometimes be helpful, but they are most useful toward the end of your research (or at least the middle), once you know precisely what you need to find out and are able to enter a very specific set of search terms (e.g. cotton production Mexico environmental). It is not a good idea to start the project with a general search.

• Don’t forget that talking to people can also be a great way to get this information! Ask someone at the company that sold or produced the product about where it came from, how it was made, etc. Be patient and friendly but persistent.

• If you think you’ve hit a dead-end in the commodity chain, do the following:
• If you haven’t been able to find any useful information, think about switching to a different product.
• Assuming that you already have a good start but have just hit a snag, do the following:
• Ask yourself, “Is this really as far as I can go? Where did this piece of the product come from? Am I forgetting something important?”
• If you can’t find information about the specific thing you’re looking for, can you find some useful general information on it? For instance, if you can’t find out where the specific cotton that was used to make your shirt came from, can you at least find out what parts of the country or world grow a lot of cotton? What are the environmental and social conditions in those areas? Or if you can’t find the process through which your cell phone was manufactured, can you at least find out how (and where) most cell phones are manufactured?
• If you hit a major dead-end that keeps you from finding any information about one of the main ingredients in your product, you should explain that in your paper. What did you try to do to get this information? Why was it so difficult?

• When using the websites shown here, your best bet will be to use a computer on campus that is hooked into the university network. Some of these require subscriptions, which the university has, but which may not be available to you if you’re working on a computer at home.

A guide to commodity chain research

Based heavily on:

New York University Library’s guide to Commodity Chain Analysis for Processed Food Products (http://library.nyu.edu/research/food/cca.html#1)

Corpwatch’s Hands-On Corporate Research Guide (http://corpwatch.radicaldesigns.org/article.php?id=945)

With the assistance of Todd Beer

1. Choose a product (and be prepared to switch to another if you have trouble with the first one).

2. What company manufactures the product? What else can you find out about this company? E.g.: Is it part of a larger conglomerate? (If so, what can you find out about the parent company?) What is the company’s record on environmental and social issues?

A. Resources for finding the company that makes the product and learning about its operations:

Hall, Linda D. (ed.). Brands and Their Companies. Detroit: Gale Group, 2000. (2 vols)
Business/SPEA library, Reference section T223 .V4 A22
This directory provides an alphabetical index of brand names and contact information for the companies that make them.

Hoovers database
http://www.hoovers.com

Use this online directory to look up a brand name and identify the parent company. Also gives information on the company, industry, and top competitors.

Company annual reports

www.reportgallery.com

Mergent

http://www.fisonline.com/compsearch.asp

Another place to get annual reports and other basic information about the company.

B. Resources for finding out about the company’s record on environmental and social issues

Is the company currently involved in any major environmental or social controversies? (If so, try to get a sense of what the issues are.) You might consider questions like the following: What is its history of compliance with environmental laws? How much and what kinds of emissions is the company responsible for? Note: These sites might also provide useful information about how and where the product is made. Keep your eyes open for this.

Business and Human Rights

http://www.business-humanrights.org/Home

A website that compiles a great deal of information on issues having to do with companies’ social and environmental responsibility. Try using the links on the left side of the page to look for information by Company, Sector (industry), issue, or region/country. Or use the general search field in the upper right corner of the page.

Pesticide Action Network

http://www.panna.org/

Search for news about pesticide residues in products, as well as corporations involved in pesticide production and genetic engineering.

Scorecard, from Environmental Defense’

http://www.scorecard.org/

For information on compliance and industrial emissions, check this out. It includes a database of toxic chemical releases that is searchable by corporate facility.

Environmental Working Group

http://www.ewg.org/

Search by corporation for reports and articles on harmful environmental practices.

Go to Google and search for your product along with the word “boycott.” It may produce some more information or links. This can provide some good leads and useful information, but be aware that there may also be some emotionally charged speculation on some pages. Check the facts as much as possible before using them in your paper. (Note: This path may also lead you to important sources of information on how your product was made, where it was made, etc. Be sure to make note of these.)

Go to the website of the company that makes the product and look for information on how it is produced, where it is produced, etc. As with the boycott sites, maintain a critical perspective when looking at a company’s website. Remember, the website was created primarily as a promotional tool to help sell more products! Still, some companies are beginning to put some useful information up on their websites. Do your best to separate the information from the hype.

3. What materials go into making the product (or its ingredients)? Where do they come from? (Consider materials needed both directly and indirectly.) How was the product made? Where does the manufacturing or processing take place?

Start by looking at the product itself for signs of what it is made of, what ingredients go into it, and where it was made. Then search for more information on some of the main ingredients. Remember to keep tracing back the materials that go into the product as far as you can.

Some of the sources listed above may be useful for this. In addition, take a look at these:

Wikipedia, the free, “open-source” encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Try searching here for some of the main ingredients/materials.

Encyclopaedia Britannica online

http://search.eb.com/

Also try search for some of the main ingredients/materials here.

Stuff: The Secret Lives of Ordinary Things.

Molotch, Harvey Luskin. 2003. Where stuff comes from: How toasters, toilets, cars, computers, and many others things come to be as they are. New York: Routledge.

Main library, Undergrad core collection TA148 .M65 2003

CRB Commodity Yearbook. By Commodity Research Bureau. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Annual.
Main library and Business/SPEA library HC14 .C7

This book provides essential information on commodities, including production levels in the U.S and the world, prices, and trade information. Individual entries for each commodity start with a short narrative section that discusses recent market trends and identifies major producers. These are followed by tables of relevant statistics going back several years.

Encyclopedia of food sciences and nutrition. 2nd edition. (10 vols).
HPER Library REF TX349 .E463
This encyclopedia describes growing conditions, harvesting, transportation, and processing requirements for each product. Includes list of recommended readings.

Agricultural Market Information Virtual Library
http://www.aec.msu.edu/agecon/fs2/market/contents.htm

On the menu on the left side of the page, choose “Commodity” under “Quick picks,” for a list of some commodities with links to potentially useful sites.

U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, News and Information
http://www.usda.gov/news/news.htm

U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Economic Research Service
http://www.ers.usda.gov/

Try searching for the ingredients in your product.

4. What are the environmental conditions in the countries or areas where the materials come from, or where the manufacturing or harvesting takes place? What are the political, economic, and labor conditions there?

World Resources Institute

http://governance.wri.org/pubs_pdf.cfm?PubID=3764

World Resources, 2002-2004. Click on the “Data tables” after “Chapter 9”to get to country-level information on environmental conditions. (Check out the “urban environment” tables also.)

United Nations Environment Program

http://www.unep.net/

This has a lot of very useful information but also a lot of holes. Try the country profiles (see the bottom right corner of the page) but be aware that some of these are incomplete. Within these pages the “indicators” are a great source. Within the “Socio-economic” section there is a link to World Development Indicators that gives average incomes, Gross Domestic Product, etc. for each country.

United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
http://www.FAO.org

United Nations Millennium Indicators Database

http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mi/mi_goals.asp

A database of country-level statistics compiled by the United Nations, and typically based on studies done by international organizations (e.g. the World Health Organization, International Labor Organization, etc.). Scroll down for the parts specifically on the environment. Also refer to their “Country Profiles” section.

Business and Human Rights

http://www.business-humanrights.org/Home

This page might be useful here too. This time, search by country.

The Environment Sustainability Index

http://www.ciesin.org/indicators/ESI/index.html

This was developed by a group of environmental policy organizations. In addition to the country rankings, be sure to check the report to get a sense of what the rankings are based on.

Environmental Protection Agency's Envirofacts Data Warehouse

http://www.epa.gov/enviro/

If you’re looking for information about locations within the U.S., this might be helpful. Try entering the location in the search box on the left.

Columbia International Affairs Online

http://www.ciaonet.org/

Click on “maps/country data” on the left side of the page.

Library of Congress, Country Studies

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/

World Health Organization (WHO)
http://www.WHO.org

Other general resources

The following might be useful for gathering information on companies, production processes, or corporate accountability.

Corpwatch’s guide to corporate research

http://corpwatch.radicaldesigns.org/article.php?id=945

Food Chain Project

http://www.sustainweb.org/chain_index.asp

Organizations:

Third World Network: Covers globalization, trade, environment, human and women's rights among other issues. An international network based in Malaysia.

Focus on the Global South: Does policy research, analysis and action on globalization and other corporate-related issues. Based in Thailand.

Institute for Women's Policy Research: IWPR focuses on issues of poverty and welfare, employment and earnings, work and family issues, among others.

Alternative Media:

One World

Multinational Monitor

Left Business Observer

Down to Earth (India)

Databases:

Factiva

http://www.libraries.iub.edu/index.php?pageId=1044 then select Factiva from the menu on the left

Provides access to articles from leading newspapers, news magazines and newswires. Search 6,000 newswires, magazines and journals, essential business, government and industry websites. (Make sure you go through the library webpage to get to Factiva. Otherwise, it will say that you need to open an account.)

Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe (online index)
http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/
Provides full-text access to newspapers from around the world and the U.S.; business, legal, and medical journals; corporate financial information; Federal laws, regulations, and court decisions; State laws and court decisions; quotations and biographies; and business directories.

ABI/Inform (online index)
http://www.umi.com/pqdauto/
Provides in-depth coverage of business conditions, trends, corporate strategies and tactics, management techniques, competitive and product information, and a wide variety of other topics. Also ProQuest, provides abstracts of articles from a wide range of popular and academic magazines and journals. Good general coverage of social issues and public policy.

Power Structure Research resources

http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~vburris/whorules/

Compiled by Prof. Val Burris of the University of Oregon’s Sociology Dept. Some of the materials under the “corporations” heading may be useful.

U.S. Government Resources

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

Environmental Protection Agency's Envirofacts Data Warehouse (EPA)

National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)

Occupational Safety and Health Administration Inspection Data (OSHA)

Securities and Exchange Commission Enforcement Division (SEC)