Andrew Tuch, a professor of law at WashU School of Law, received the 2024 Berkeley-European Corporate Governance Institute Best Paper Award. This annual honor recognizes legal research in environmental, social and governance issues.
The culmination of the weeklong Berkeley Forum for Corporate Governance, the academic symposium featured presentations from 10 finalists from the U.S. and abroad. Tuch and his coauthors were awarded the senior category award, which included a $10,000 prize.
Tuch co-authored the award-winning paper “Green Gatekeepers” with Luca Enriques (University of Oxford) and Alessandro Romano (Bocconi University).
In an era of ubiquitous green claims, where products are labeled “recycled,” “responsibly sourced,” or “carbon neutral,” the accuracy of such assertions often remains beyond the reach of consumers and investors, they found.
“Green Gatekeepers” explores the critical role of third-party certification in addressing this issue. These intermediaries set and verify green standards and should help ensure that such claims are not just marketing hype.
“A policy framework like the one we propose is of the utmost importance because a great deal is at stake in the work of green gatekeepers,” Tuch said. “If firms market inaccurate credentials, consumers and investors — who cannot be relied on to verify green claims — may be misled. Worse still, the promise of demand-side climate change mitigation strategies may be squandered.”
Read more on the WashU Law website.
