Dara O'Rourke

Research Expertise and Interest

globalization, sustainability, labor and environmental policy, supply chains, consumers, information-based regulation, environmental justice, sustainability transitions, disruptive innovation

Research Description

Research the environmental, social, and equity impacts of global production systems and new strategies of governance. Working to advance rapid and equitable sustainability transitions. Research political economy and policy aspects of global supply chains, from resource extraction, to manufacturing, to use and disposal. Interested in governmental and non-governmental strategies for monitoring and accountability over production systems. Evaluate models of public participation in environmental and labor policy issues and innovative regulatory strategies. Teach courses on sustainable industry, governance of global production, climate solution pathways, and environmental justice.

Featured in the Media

Please note: The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or positions of UC Berkeley.
August 17, 2020

Study: Fashion Sustainability Tools Have Limited Impact

Eco Textile News
John Mowbray
A study from the University of California, Berkeley says fashion sustainability tools such as the Higg Index - a suite of tools that enables brands, retailers and facilities to accurately measure and score a company or product's sustainability - will only drive limited environmental change in their current form. The overall conclusion of the work led by UC Berkeley's Professor of Environmental and Labor Policy, Dara O'Rourke notes that the Higg FEM is having foundational, but not transformative impacts as it still "lacks critical incentives" to change factory practices. "If factories were to receive more or fewer orders based on their FEM score, there might be sufficient internal incentives for improvement. Yet this internal mechanism is only likely to be successful if there is external transparency and accountability."
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