Interpretations of ethical consumption

Abstract

During the last few years around a dozen boycotts have been called in Hungary; there are several ecologically and socially aware food-communities directly linking consumers and producers; at the end of 2006 a Fair Trade shop opened in Budapest, and there are product campaigns which accentuate various patriotic themes. All of these initiatives signal the emergence of new attitudes and values, a new type of behavior, that of ethical consumption. Ethical consumption, new kinds of consumer needs are influencing market culture through the creation of various market-niches (see corporate social responsibility); furthermore, the wide-scale spread of ethical consumption can even lead to the transformation of market functions. The modern market is going from a mainly economic space to an area of moral action, a tool of regulation and social participation. As a social movement ethical consumerism can effect political culture and play an important role in public policy aiming towards sustainable development. According to West-European literature as well as to concrete experience ethical consumerism is more and more playing this role, 1 the local appearance of the movement beckons the question: what sort of values and institutions characterize this new consumer culture, and which of these can we encounter in Hungary? The first part of this study deals with the phenomena of ethical consumption: it gives an overview of the literature, explicating the main research themes, and introducing its distinctive, most often examined forms of action. In the second part of the study, out of the interpretational possibilities, I look at ethical consumption as political consumption, as a form of social governance, examining its relevance as a way of public participation. I try to find an answer to the question whether the spread of ethical consumption should be imagined at the demise of classical political institutions, or as complementary to them, and which ethical issues are most likely to mobilize the public. The study is primarily based on data describing Hungarian political participatory culture, as well as an attitude survey of a representative sample. At the end of the study I will briefly refer to the possible causes of differences in ethical consumption attitudes and behaviors.

Ethically Minded Consumer Behavior, Retailers’ Commitment to Sustainable Development, and Store Equity in Hypermarkets

“…Ethical consumption in the retail sector is defined as "conscientious consumption that takes into account health, society, and natural environment, based on personal and moral beliefs" [24]. Thus, ethical purchasing in hypermarkets incorporates the consideration of environmental and human welfare, fair trade, and ethical products [10], that is, it is founded on a particular ethical, social, or environmental problem [25]. In this sense, ethical products are in demand in many countries [26], and companies have detected the need to adopt principles in line with sustainable development [10] and reflect them in their products, packaging, and various communication channels.…”

The beauty and the beast of consumption: a review of the consequences of consumption

“…Green consumption research can be divided between studies “rooted in marketing which focus on the intentions and behaviors of consumers, and those rooted in industrial ecology which focus on the environmental outcomes of those behaviors” (Peattie, 2010, p. 198). Also closely related to sustainable consumption is ethical consumption, defined as “the conscious endeavor of the consumers to make their choices on the basis of their values or ethical principles” (Gulyás, 2008, p. 26).…”

Dimensions of cosmopolitanism and their influence on political consumption: an analysis focused onSpanish consumers

“…The main point of this approach lies in the idea that the socially responsible consumer takes into account and considers the effects of his/her decisions and the interests of society and the planet as a whole (Miller, ; Mohr et al ., ). The keywords in this approach are pro‐social behaviour, altruism and helping (Gulyas, , p. 28).…”

“…Defined as the act of selecting among products and producers based on social, political or ethical considerations, political consumption may provide people with an alternative way to participate in public issues beyond conventional political and civic behaviours such as voting or volunteering (Bennett and Entman, ; Shah et al ., , p. 217). Scholars who interpret values‐oriented consumption as political consumption see consumers not just as market players, but as political actors as well (Gulyas, ). As ‘politics by other means’, this type of consumption reflects a move away from institutional and formal models of engagement.…”