Dialectics of dissociation

In their discussion of ‘dissociation’, Ibert et al. ((2019) Geographies of dissociation: value creation, ‘dark’ places, and ‘missing’ links. Dialogues in Human Geography.) explore the negative side of branding—that is, the efforts companies take to avoid being identified with problems such as labor exploitation or environmental degradation. Because the introduction of unwanted associations into the semiotic circuit threatens the value of brands, brand owners engage in both proactive and reactive relational work to insulate brand assets from such threats. In this commentary, I explore the development of supply chain corporate social responsibility through the lens of dissociations. Civil society organizations, such as trade unions, student groups, faith-based organizations, and so on, that target brands by highlighting problems in their supply chains are engaged in a struggle over value. One way that brand owners try to counter this reputational threat is by accepting, albeit to varying degrees, the principle that they are responsible for maintaining labor or environmental standards along the supply chain. I ask whether this development signals a shift in the terrain of struggle between brands and their critics, and what such a shift might imply about the limits of dissociation as a corporate practice.