Talk:Forest Stewardship Council
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Diamond's Criticism of Rivals
The "Criticism" section could use a source. Could we mention the companies' rationale for working with the FSC and similar organizations, other than desire to save the planet? Diamond's book argues that it's a useful form of marketing: a company can make its product more distinctive (thus creating a type of monopoly) by offering the seal-of-approval of a group like FSC, so that consumers will pay more for the product. Diamond cites a study saying so. He criticizes rival organizations by saying they're the same type of marketing strategy without the high standards that make it meaningful. (Would that qualify as a type of astroturfing?) Maybe we could even quote the book, if there's no better source explaining the argument. I gave away my copy, though.
