Regulation and Governance of the Environment and Food Systems

Environment-related laws govern and regulate a broad range of complex challenges, from wastewater management to climate change

Research on regulation and governance explores issues related to the effectiveness and impact of regulatory and institutional systems. An emerging area of scholarship examines the governance and regulation of food systems, that is, how food is produced, consumed, and advertised.

Current research

Environmental Claims and "Greenwashing"

Many consumers want to buy as green as they can, and many businesses are tapping into this desire. The number of claims about the environmental and sustainability credentials of consumer products and services in advertising can be overwhelming. Yet many of the claims made are unverified and unverifiable for the consumer. Many are misleading. Consumer protection regulator, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is making misleading green claims a priority for monitoring and enforcement.
Working with the Consumer Policy Research centre, ADM+S researchers are searching the Ad Observatory to identify how frequently consumers are targeted with green advertising, and how misleading these claims are. The research asks how environmental consumerism and sustainable consumption is produced on social media, and whether it is targeted at particular cohorts.
This case study is part of The Australian Ad Observatory project, one of research projects of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision + Society.

Regulating Cumulative Environmental Effects: Designing Global Best Practice

Led by Dr Rebecca Nelson, this project aims to analyse and evaluate laws regulating cumulative environmental effects in the United States of America, European Union, Canada and Australia. The outcomes will increase the capacity of regulators, industry, and the community to better manage common challenges in managing environmental effects and reducing environmental harms.
Funded by Discovery Early Career Research Awad (DECRA), Australian Research Council, DE180101154, (2018-2023).