Ethical

Consumption
Md. Mirajul Islam
Lecturer
Department of CSE
United International University

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 Ethical Consumption
• Ethical consumption (alternatively called ethical consumerism, ethical
purchasing, moral purchasing, ethical sourcing, ethical shopping also
associated with sustainable and green consumerism) is a type of
consumer activism based on the concept of dollar voting.

• It is practiced through the buying of ethically-made products that

support small scale manufacturers and local artisans while protecting
animals and the environment, and boycott' products that exploit
children as workers, are tested on animals, or damage the environment.

Dollar voting is an analogy that has been used to refer to the impact of consumer choice on producers

actions through the flow of consumer payments to producers for their goods and services

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 Ethical Consumerism
• Ethical consumerism, form of political activism based on the premise
that purchasers in markets consume not only goods but also, implicitly,
the process used to produce them. From the point of view of ethical
consumerism, consumption is a political act that sanctions the values
embodied in a product's manufacture.

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 Ethical Consumerism (2)
Every time we shop, we make a decision. We can either consume products,
which are ethically produced, or we can choose to ignore ethics and buy
products, which are harmful to the environment and society at large.

Here are some of the many ways to consume ethically, through buying the
following types of products:

• Buycott – don’t buy products from unethical businesses, instead “boycott”

them, the word “buycott” is often used as an ethical shopping term
• Cruelty free – choose to buy products, which don’t harm animals in their
manufacture
• Eco-labelled products – buy products with recognized labels such as vegan,
Fairtrade, Fair Wear and others
• Environmentally friendly products – buy products, which are known to
protect the environment, these include biodegradable, organic, palm oil
free and pesticide free as just a few examples

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 Ethical Consumerism (3)
• Ethical sources – search for local suppliers, website and ethical apps
where all the products meet stringent ethical standards (e.g. Ethical
Superstore and Bazar)
• Pre-loved and recycled – wherever possible buy products which are pre-
owned. This avoids the carbon footprint on new manufacture and can
even save you money!
• Sustainable – choose products, which are sustainable and don’t deplete
the Earth’s precious resources
• Worker’s rights – buy products, which respect and encourage workers
rights. Examples of this include Fairtrade and Fair Wear, which operate
in fashion and ensure fashion workers get a fair day’s pay and also work
in suitable working environments

Always, remember there is power in the wallet and we can exercise this
power every time we make a purchase.

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Consumer Groups
• In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, people began to have formal
consumer movement to ensure that people get value for their money for
the things they purchased in industrialized countries.

• This kind of movements focused on the unfair labor practices of the

companies, labelling requirements of food, cosmetics, drugs and etc.

• Examples to the consumer movements were Consumer League which

was established in New York, USA in 1891, National Consumers League
created in USA in 1898, Consumers Council which was established during
World War I in Great Britain.

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Consumer Groups (2)
• During that time workers were not well-paid, they did not have secure
employment with benefit of social protection, working conditions was
decent and in this Irish trade union movement focused the ILO policy of
campaigning for decent work wherever there is an opportunity for job
improvement or job creation.

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Areas of Concern
Ethical Consumer Research Association, the alternative consumer
organization, collects and categorizes information of more than
30,000 companies according to their performance in five main
areas, composing the Ethiscore:

o Environment: Environmental Reporting, Nuclear Power, Climate

Change, Pollution & Toxics, Habitats & Resources
o People: Human Rights, Workers' Rights, Supply Chain Policy,
Irresponsible Marketing, Armaments
o Animals: Animal Testing, Factory Farming, Other Animal Rights
o Politics: Political Activity, Boycott Call, Genetic Engineering, Anti-Social
Finance, Company Ethos
o Product Sustainability: Organic, Fairtrade, Positive Environmental
Features, Other Sustainability.

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 Thanks!

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