CGGC/EDF Partnership

The Duke University Center on Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness (CGGC) and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) have an ongoing collaboration to apply value chain analysis to environmental issues. Value chains enable us to illustrate the full range of activities that firms and workers bring to a product from its conception to its end use and beyond. For example, our collaborative series Manufacturing Climate Solutions uses value chains to shed light on U.S. “green job” opportunities linked to carbon-reducing technologies. We show the complex path of value-adding activities and highlight the needed labor and skills. In another collaborative research track, Value Chain Analysis to Identify Lead Firms and Leverage Points, we examine the value chain for a given industry, such as U.S. beef production, and the key companies that wield disproportionate influence in environmental decision-making. Our analysis seeks to fully understand the roles of all the players in the value chain and find leverage points where companies can act as leaders in implementing environmental best practices.