Ethical Consumerism

With the emergence of new concepts in business like social responsibility and
ethical practices, consumers and organizations, both are becoming more and
more concerned in making ethics a part of business. Consumers, across the
globe, are becoming more socially concerned and ethically conscious. They
are the main factor towards the success or profitability of businesses and
they have started looking forward to the ethical and clean practices and
honest attitude of businesses towards society (Hamelin, Harcar, & Benhari,
2013)So, the Ethical consumerism can be defined as an ethical attitude or
socially justified behavior of consumers towards the products and practices
of the firms, when they choose to go for a product that fulfill certain ethical
criteria or standards and reject all those products that dont meet those
standards.Thus ethical does not only include environmental concerns, but it
covers all matters from animal rights to labor rights from health issues to
trade issues (Cho & Krasser, 2011). The intention of this discussion is to
unveil the views of different writers about this very issue, the challenges
which organizations face in applying these ethical practices, and the
strategies that businesses are using successfully to deal with this concern.
Many studies have been done on ethical consumerism challenges and
possible opportunities and strategies in dealing with these challenges in
global market. In current years, it is gradually becoming an important trait of
consumers to utilize their choices and preferences in the marketplace to deal
with various issues such as environmental, trade, and labor (Hussain,
2012).Human
trafficking,
forced
labor,
child
soldiers
slavery,
child
prostitution are the human rights issues which are gaining more and more
concern
of
organization,
firms
and
consumers
while
producing
and
purchasing of products (Lusk & Lucas, 2009). Correspondingly, businesses

have to move in accordance to the concerns of consumers if they want to get
profit. Ethical concerns of consumers are forcing the companies to introduce
ethical strategies in their practices. Fair prices, environmental concerns,
workers rights are those issues which are gaining attention of current
consumers (Shaw, Hogg, & Wilson, 2006).So if the businesses want the heart
and money of customers they are bound to introduce ethical practices.
There are numerous challenges related to ethical consumerism, but two of
these are incongruence between consumer purchasing intentions and buying
behavior, and the challenges in the fair trade. Studies prove that consumers
increasingly want to buy and use those products that exhibit social and
environmental concern. But this want not necessarily means that they
actually buy these products. It has been observed that consumers with
ethical purchasing intentions rarely purchase ethical products because the
consumers intentions to buy never justify the proxy for consumers actual
purchasing behavior. Consumer actual purchasing decision depends on
complex mental procedure which is based on different factors not only upon
ethical concern (Carrington, Neville, & Whitwell, 2010) This incongruence in
purchasing intentions and behaviors of ethical products may be due to the
higher prices of these products or lack of information, trust, or choices in
these products (Hamelin, Harcar, & Benhari, 2013).Studies prove that Fair
trade, which helps in promoting justified trading agreements through
implementing fair and honest
practices, like fair prices, good working
environment, avoidance of child labor, consideration of workers rights etc,

is gaining growth in many industries but this concern is been neglected in
other industries related to fashion. Consumers surely give high concern to
the ethical issues in fashion industry but not at the cost of other important
factors like quality and availability of products and fashion trend. So in
clothing industry researches reveal consumer give more importance to
fashion and availability of product than ethical concerns. This concern has
been ignored by marketing research. Again its been found the variance in
purchasing intentions and buying behavior of fashion victim consumers
(Shaw, Hogg, & Wilson, 2006).
Despite all of these challenges to ethical consumerism, there are many
strategies or solutions that can be applied by individuals and organizations.
Information availability and consistency can become possible through

educating consumers about the ethics importance. Government can also
play a pivotal role in making consumers more aware of business ethics. It
can force businesses to follow the ethical practices and code of conduct
through imposing sanctions on unfair practices. Corporate revelation,
environmental concerns, and information availability to general consumers
should be implemented by the firms. Firms should also justify the prices of
ethical products through not raising too high prices for their product
(Hamelin, Harcar, & Benhari, 2013).To deal with fair trading issues different
legal approaches can be used through enforcing international law and
domestic law. Consumer boycotts, visa reforms, public education can also
play a pivotal role towards fair trading concern (Lusk & Lucas, 2009).
There are many organizations that have made successful efforts to ensure
that ethical consumerism is developed and applied. One of them is
Manchesters Unicorn Grocery store. It is renowned for making ethical
practices its pivotal part of business model. When supermarkets were
notorious for involving in unethical sourcing, substandard food, below
average wages, Unicorn Grocery emerged as a benchmark for other
supermarket store through practicing exceptionally good ethical practices. It
grows fresh fruit vegetables in Unicorns Glebelands market farm. Pays fair
prices for the stocks. Provide job security to the employees. Trade preferably
in products which fulfill the "Fair Trade" criteria and make customers aware to
the dilemma of cash crop. Deal in products which themselves and their
packaging, impact minimum on the environment because the store is very
concerned about the day by day large amount of disposal or inorganic waste.
Wherever possible the use of reusable packaging strategy is being followed.
Bread is brought from local bakeries instead of baking in-house five days a
week. Thus Unicorn grocery store is trying to use every possible mean of
ethical practices ranging from environmental concerns to consumers and
workers right issues. (Unicorn manchester's co-operating grocery).The other
organization which is playing its part towards ethical consumerism is AntiSlavery International. This is founded in 1839. It is the world's oldest human
rights organization working at international level to eliminate slavery all
around the globe. It is working on two grounds: one is to make difference in
real life of people living under slavery conditions while other is to work for
the elimination of the root cause of slavery. This organization is working in
different areas like international advocacy, education, public information,
campaigns, empowerment of non-government organization to eradicate the
root cause of slavery etc. It is involve in building public awareness through
campaigning,
media
engagement,
educating
the
people
in
schools,
publishing researches on slavery and on its different types, advocating for

the changes in codes and conducts. On the whole its activities are covering
as many aspects of human slavery as from child labor to domestic child
labor, from human trafficking to bounded labor, from forced labor to slavery
on the high street. (Anti-Slavery) Both organizations are contributing towards
the ethical consumerism in its own way. One prominently exhibits
environmental concern while other is contributing towards the human rights
issues. But the purpose of both seems similar. The welfare of society in both
cases is dominant concern of both either through creating awareness in
public for anti slavery or through making people attentive to promote
ethically or socially responsively produced food products.
In conclusion, it can be said that with the emergence of these concepts of
social responsibility and ethical practices, consumers are becoming more and
more conscious in buying ethical products and their buying behavior is
seems effected by these concerns and issues. But many studies have
revealed that despite all of these growing concerns, incongruence in
purchasing intentions and purchasing behavior of consumers in ethical
products have been found. This variance in walk and talk of consumers is the
result of many issues ranging from high prices of goods to the information
lack about the products or businesses. No proper government restriction on
unethical practices, loose sanctions on using unfair means further aggravate

the problems like human trafficking, child labor, bounded labor, slavery
,unfair wage, violation of human rights, unhealthy working environment etc.
All these issues can be dealt with public awareness, through making strict
laws regarding international and domestic human rights and through rigid
intervention by the government in all these matters. Consumers should be
made aware of ethical concerns through different campaigns and research
publications. In the writers opinion ethical consumerism is very complex
although it seems a very hot topic in todays concerns however somehow it
lacks in consumers purchasing actions. Consumer intentions to purchase can
never justify the actual behavior of purchasing .purchasing behavior depends
on complete thinking procedure. That is based on different factors like price
consideration, availability of product, awareness of social concern etc.
Consumer give priorities to these factors according to their thinking .So the
need is to make consumer aware of the social responsibility and ethical
products concerns. Because these are the consumers who can only force the
firms to produce ethical products if they want to compete in this Go green
era.

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With the emergence of new concepts in business like social responsibility and

purchasing of products (Lusk & Lucas, 2009). Correspondingly, businesses

practices, like fair prices, good working

environment, avoidance of child labor, consideration of workers rights etc,

Information availability and consistency can become possible through

publishing researches on slavery and on its different types, advocating for

unethical practices, loose sanctions on using unfair means further aggravate

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