Labeling future markets: the making of the French repairability index
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This article documents how and what type of promises are constructed through product qualification and labeling in contemporary markets. The introduction of a repairability index for electronic products in France requires producers to display an index on ‘how reparable’ new products are. Examining the genesis of this labeling device, through the analysis of original policy documents and interviews with stakeholders, we show that qualification does not only happen to be a result of struggles and ‘trials’ between actors, devices and values, but also produces promises about markets and society. This promissory dimension has two main features. First it is characteristic of the government of environmental issues to rely on the assumed relevance of market forces to foster change. Second, it complements the study on how actors problematize markets through market devices.
Source: Journal of Cultural Economy
Author: Vincent Jourdain
Institution: Grenoble Ecole de Management
Language: English
Subfield: Strategy and Management
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Université Grenoble Alpes
OpenAlex ID: W4407589527