Ethical Consumerism

Ethical Consumerism Defined

The Significance of Ethical Consumption

Ethical consumerism can be related to and implemented in every student’s life. Remaining conscious of the potentially harmful consequences of consumerism is important, which is why becoming aware of responsible shopping becomes imperative. Ethical consumerism contributes in creating a more responsible and sustainable approach to consumption, overall benefiting individuals, companies, and the environment. Ethical consumerism also aids students’ understanding of the connection between consumer and economic choices. Reetta Oksanen and Outi Uusitalo surveyed Finnish consumer views on ethical consumerism, which proposed that, “consumer’s consciousness about ethics should be enhanced by educating and providing them with reliable information. Ethics in consumption should become a norm in society, which is followed in the same way as other moral principles, or invisible rules” (220). College students might not be fully aware or acknowledge the ethical implementations of their purchases, which can lead to being influenced by misleading marketing tactics. Through detailed education and increased accessibility to reliable information on the resource webpage, ethical consumerism shifts towards an increasingly normal mindset amongst college students. The development of ethical consumerism as a norm, encourages individuals to prioritize social responsibility, sustainability, and environmental consequences when making choices. Likewise, critical thinking in English 145 encourages and teaches students to make informed decisions and evaluate the ethical implications of their choices. Critical thinking allows consumers to examine ethical claims and advertisements made by companies regarding their products or services. Thelma Gunn studied critical thinking in North American school districts and explains “the need to address critical thinking in science education must be of foremost importance as it creates the foundation for proficient and ethical consumers of scientific change” (167). Learning how to critically think in direct correlation to ethical consumerism helps individuals become conscious and responsible consumers who have the ability to make informed decisions aligned with their ethical beliefs. Critical thinking by the consuming public will combat the actions of unethical corporations, which are incentivized not to maintain ethical practices when such practices would reduce their profits. Noam Chomsky and Robert Pollin examines climate change's connection to consumerism, and asserts that, “basic elements of capitalism, both ideological and institutional, lead directly to destruction of the basis of organized social life – if unconstrained,” citing the coverup by ExxonMobil of the problem of climate change starting in the 1960s (53). Companies tend to work against ethical changes as a result, necessitating cautious and deliberative consumerism to maintain ethics. Integrating ethical consumerism into the English 145 curriculum, will contribute to a society where individuals are better equipped to make informed choices about the affects of their consumer-driven actions. 

Greenwashing

History of the Term Greenwashing: Ria Mehta

While on vacation in Fiji, Jay Westerveld noticed that a resort had placed signs on the beach telling people to “reuse towels in order to reduce environmental damage” (Watson np). Westerveld  had found the sign ironic that the group that was encouraging environmental protection was the same group that was responsible for destroying the environment in the first place. A few years after that trip, he wrote an essay that described what he saw, and he described the resort's behavior as “it all comes out in the greenwash” and the term quickly gained traction (Watson np). Now, greenwashing has a similar meaning. Greenwashing is when companies intentionally make their products seem sustainable. Corporations do so by relying on marketing to draw attention away from environmental harms that they are perpetuating. In an already over-saturated market, greenwashing becomes particularly harmful because marketing confuses consumers. Greenwashing makes consumers struggle to find brands that are actually sustainable versus brands that market themselves as such. Because consumers do not have time to research different brands, appearing sustainable allows brands to boost their perception. Sustainable practices require money and time spent towards changing practices, making sustainability not a priority. Companies who greenwash have their cake and eat it too, they gain more profit from consumers, but they never direct that profit towards benefiting the environment. However, most harmfully, the United Nations details that “Greenwashing undermines credible efforts to reduce emissions and address the climate crisis. Through deceptive marketing and false claims of sustainability, greenwashing misleads consumers, investors, and the public, hampering the trust, ambition, and action needed to bring about global change and secure a sustainable planet” (United Nations). Greenwashing makes combating climate change harder because marketing creates the illusion of change. 

How Companies Greenwash

Companies use misleading labels in order to trick consumers into thinking that products are beneficial to the environment. Figure 3 informs about trustworthy certifications and misleading labels. Trustworth certifications require rigorous inspection. For example, if a company were a Certified B corporation, they would have to pass the following:

• Demonstrate high social and environmental performance by achieving a B Impact Assessment score of 80 or above and passing our risk review. Multinational corporations must also meet baseline requirement standards. 

• Make a legal commitment by changing their corporate governance structure to be accountable to all stakeholders, not just shareholders, and achieve benefit corporation status if available in their jurisdiction. 

• Exhibit transparency by allowing information about their performance measured against B Lab’s standards to be publicly available on their B Corp profile on B Lab’s website. (Certified B Corporation) 

Misleading labels are placed onto products by companies, not by environmental organizations. Labels are one of the primary ways that companies confuse consumers. Being educated on what labels are environmentally conscious is the first step towards being a good consumer. 

Examples of Greenwashing

H&M has used problematic labels to give the perception of being environmentally friendly. On their website they falsely claimed that "you can identify our most environmentally sustainable products by looking out for our green Conscious hashtags." In a lawsuit against H&M, the plaintiffs argued that green conscious hashtags “used an unqualified General Environmental Benefit Claim that misleadingly overstated the line's positive impact on the environment” (Ferris et. al np). Misleading labels are a key aspect of H&M’s marketing strategy. 

How to Combat Greenwashing

Educate yourself! Taking the time to do research on companies may sound like a waste of time, but education is the only effective way to hold companies accountable.

Ethical Fishing and Farming: Sustainability and Consumer Responsibility

Affordability limits access to ethically sourced food. Organic products cost more due to smaller-scale production and labor-intensive methods. Low-income consumers face limited choices, making industrially produced food the only option for many. Policies promoting subsidies for sustainable agriculture could reduce costs, making ethical food accessible to more people. Farmers adopting hybrid models that integrate sustainability with scalable production offer a potential solution. Regenerative grazing and mixed cropping systems preserve land health while maintaining economic viability.

Responsible consumerism requires engagement beyond shopping choices. Awareness of deceptive labeling, support for transparent policies, and advocacy for local food systems help create meaningful change. Conversations with ethical producers reveal a shared frustration with misleading certifications that favor large companies. Ethical food systems should balance environmental responsibility, economic sustainability, and accessibility. Thoughtful purchasing decisions contribute to a more just and sustainable food industry, but systemic changes must support consumers and producers alike.

An Ethical Brand - Patagonia

In the realm of modern consumerism, where the pursuit of profit often takes precedence over ethical consumerism, Patagonia stands out at the forefront of conscious capitalism. The company sells outdoor apparel and gear for hiking, climbing, and camping, reaching a large community. Patagonia supports their community’s desire to maintain global environmental health through activism, repair programs, and an extensive carbon emission goal. Patagonia has pledged over 140 million dollars in sales towards domestic and international environmental groups and created a non-profit corporation to encourage other businesses to contribute. The company has been a vocal proponent of environmental legislation, public land conservation, and social justice. A multitude of repair guides and product care videos are provided on the Patagonia website, and trade programs for returning used goods for store credit are also provided. This innovative approach challenges the prevailing culture of disposability, fostering a more sustainable and responsible attitude towards consumer goods. Patagonia claims that “Purchasing offsets to get to carbon neutral doesn’t erase the footprint we create and won’t save us in the long run. If our goal was to cut emissions from our owned and operated stores, offices and distribution centers, we’d be good. But the bulk of our emissions—95 percent—comes from our supply chain and materials manufacturing” (Patagonia). Instilling firm goals by 2030 and 2040, reducing direct and indirect greenhouse gasses by 80% and 90%, respectively. In a world where consumerism often seems at odds with ethical considerations, Patagonia is a testament to the possibility of aligning profit with purpose. By aligning environmental management, fair labor practices, carbon neutrality, and activism into their business model, Patagonia has become a model for ethical consumerism. 

An Unethical Brand - Nestlé

Large food conglomerates have the responsibility to maintain the environment through sustainable business practices and make use of human resources ethically, all while producing consumer goods on a global scale. With large-scale access to various sources of food and human labor that these companies have access to, upholding morally considerate values and abandoning the thought of exploiting human labor resources for profit becomes a crucial responsibility that a company desiring to be ethical must take into consideration. Unfortunately, in the increasingly capitalistic and neoliberal setting in which our contemporary society currently takes place, these large companies often prioritize monetary profits over the livelihoods of humans, plants, and animals alike. For example, Nestlé is a multinational conglomerate and, as a company, produces many different types of consumer goods. Furthermore, Nestlé has a networth of hundreds of billions of dollars, with a market cap surpassing $300 billion and brand recognition on the global scale. However, Nestlé has been shown to continually neglect moral responsibilities in spite of their massive profits.

Pictured in Fig. 1 above is the Ethical Consumer website, which promotes sustainable and ethically considerate companies while advising against the support of ethically inconsiderate ones. The website explains that “Nestlé contributes to the unnecessary death and suffering of infants around the world by aggressively marketing baby foods in breach of international marketing standards” (Anon 5 np). Nestlé continuously employs unlawful tactics when selling baby formula products in third world countries. One such tactic is their continuous spread of misinformation about breast milk and convincing poorer populations to rely solely on their products. Despite often not being able to afford these products, mothers in poor financial situations have become overly dependent on baby formula. As a direct result, their children often become malnourished due to a lack of food. This ultimately leads to various health complications which is greatly caused by the greed and willingness of Nestlé to exploit the poor and uneducated for profit. As shown by the circled information in Fig. 1, the Ethical Consumer website encourages consumers to boycott Nestlé and their products. Further pictured in Fig. 1 is the “Ethical Consumer Best Buy” evaluation given by Ethical Consumer which indicates that Nestlé is not an ethically considerate company (Fig. 1). Similarly, as shown in Fig. 2, on the website Shop Ethical!, which includes ratings for companies in terms of buying their products as an ethical consumer, on their rating scale, Nestlé receives a rating of “F”. Included with this rating are several criticisms of the actions and policies of Nestlé, which have ultimately been shown to neglect any form of ethical consideration (Fig. 2). Thus, Nestlé has clearly been shown to be a company to avoid for ethical consumers since various websites have assigned Nestlé their lowest possible ratings on the rating scales and further advise all readers to go so far as to boycott the company. 

As a supplier of foods, Nestlé should take more care in providing nutrients that will benefit the health of the people, instead of applying vicious marketing strategies and producing cheap food that ultimately leads to people being harmed. The unethical and morally inconsiderate practices of Nestlé, in addition to their focus on monetary gains as opposed to the consideration of the effects that their products have on human lives, all contribute to the failure of the company to be ethical. 

Ethically Consuming as a Cal Poly Student

Ethically consuming as a student at Cal Poly is difficult for a number of reasons. Being knowledgeable of the negative practices of businesses one uses on a daily basis is one thing, but sacrificing one's own favorite products and services in aim of becoming more ethical is another entirely. Even so, there are many actions one can take at Cal Poly that support ethical companies that don't require significant loss or effort, and that actually matter to residents.  

SLO County farmers' markets: https://www.slocountyfarmers.org/locations 

Supporting local agricultural farms at the weekly farmers' markets is a beneficial way to consume ethically. San Luis Obispo has weekly markets Tuesday afternoon, Thursday night, and Saturday morning. Farmers' markets reduce the cost of transportation for both the consumer and producer. This positively impacts the environment as the produce stays close to the original point of cultivation. Engaging in these local farms that use sustainable farming practices such as low-till, integrated pest management, crop rotation, cover crops, and agroforestry proliferates ethicality.  

Consignment and thrift stores:  

San Luis Obispo has a multitude of second-hand, thrift, and consignment stores that promote the reuse of viable, effective, and fashionable clothing, furniture, and household items. Fred and Betty's is a local thrift store located on Higuera Street that believes in shopping sustainably, affordably, and uniquely. Fred and Betty's prices are reasonable and donations are constantly accepted. Whatever is unable to be sold is re-donated somewhere else or recycled. Habitat for Humanity ReStore is a home improvement store that sells used furniture, paint, appliances, and building materials. This thrift store helps keep many materials, appliances, and even toxic paints from going into landfills. This store is a great example of the circular economy model, as it aims to reduce consumption and extend the life cycle of a product through reusing and refurbishing. 

Cal Poly Environmental Clubs: 

Cal Poly offers a wide range of environmentally focused clubs. Joining one of these clubs that specifically addresses consuming ethically can be a great way to learn more about this topic. The Sustainable Fashion Club (SFC) exists to educate students at Cal Poly about fast fashion, ways to repurpose and recycle clothes, and other sustainable fashion practices. Thrift Cal Poly is a club that creates student businesses with second-hand and upcycled clothing. The Zero Waste Club helps advocate for reducing waste on campus and sorting waste for recycling.  

Buy Fairtrade Products: https://www.fairtradecertified.org/our-community/shop-fair-trade/ 

Assessing if a brand, or more specifically a product, is ethical can be difficult, but according to Outi Uusitalo and Reetta Oksanen in their ethical consumerism study, “guarantees such as the Fairtrade label are important means in assuring consumers that the claims about trade ethics can be trusted” (219). Looking for Fairtrade labels can ensure that a product was made in safe working conditions, and supports the protection of the biological environment.  

Recent Trends and Movements In Ethical Consumerism

The behavior of consumers in the economy is changing now more than ever. Ethical consumerism has become a prominent trend, which reflects a social shift to a more ethically mindful society. There have been multiple key trends to ethical consumerism, including thrifting, and the use of sustainable products. The rise of thrift culture has recently gained a ton of popularity, this could be attributed to social media and the awareness of the environmental impacts fast fashion has. Thrifting gaining popularity is great for ethical consumerism because, as of now, the fashion industry produces “over 100 billion garments produced annually. Only 1% of produced garments are recycled while 85% end up in a landfill or incinerator ” (Helwagen 1). With 85% of products ending up in an incinerator or landfill, there is no wonder there is a worldwide problem. This problem can be solved by thrift shopping, the use of second-hand clothing stores, and online vintage retailers. When shopping for thrifted clothes, there is an opportunity to find unique products at highly discounted prices while also saving these items from ending up in a landfill. Not only is second-hand fashion a good trend to take part in, but a good business venture because “the secondhand market is expected to increase 127% by 2026, three times faster than the global apparel market overall [...] estimating the secondhand industry will be worth over $700 billion by 2030” (Helwagen 1). Secondhand fashion and thrifting are here to stay and are great examples of how ethical consumerism can benefit people and the environment. Thrifting is a lifestyle choice that lots of people choose to participate in, but there are also niche communities of thrifters who strictly sustainably shop. By thrifting, these individuals are combatting environmental degradation and the companies that promote unsustainable manufacturing processes. In addition to thrifting, there has been a large surge in demand for products that have been sustainably and ethically manufactured. When ethical consumerism is practiced correctly, consumers can drastically change what products companies offer. Many companies, including Nike, Starbucks, IKEA, etc, have recently been changing to sustainable products and practices. This change is stemming from environmentally educated and ethical consumers who choose to buy these sometimes pricier products. Data from recent studies confirms “67% of respondents would prefer [recyclable packaging]  over new and interesting packaging” (Martino 4). The majority of consumers prefer recyclable packaging, and this is a huge step for the movement. Those who are wealthy and young have been pushing the sustainability agenda. While products made in sustainable practices are often more expensive, people are still “willing to pay, 70% of respondents reported that they would be willing to pay between 1% and 5% over what would otherwise be the price” (Martino 4). As more and more consumers switch to sustainable products and supporting these companies, their products will become cheaper. The rise of consumer awareness around life-cycle impacts has also led to increased inspection of manufacturing. Businesses have been pushed to accept greener practices because of this consumer demand. Ethical consumerism is no longer just a trend, but a critical aspect of how consumers determine the value and quality of the products they buy.

How to Write about Ethical Consumerism

Writing an essay about ethical consumerism should follow all English 145 guidelines, which can be referenced on other sections of this website such as the Essay Structure, Paragraph Structure, Introductions, Conclusions, and Works Cited pages respectively. Formal register must be maintained throughout the essay to convey a clear and cohesive argument to the target audience. An uneven-U paragraph structure (see the webpage on Paragraph Structure for more examples and outlines for this type of paragraph structure) provides the basis for a compelling argument with strong evidence backed by sources that are reputable and academic. For example, in most cases, using a peer-reviewed journal about a certain topic is much more effective than using a random webpage online about that same topic. For a paper which discusses ethical consumerism, students must ensure that they address all issues surrounding a given company backed by specific evidence and analysis of how these issues pertain to the real world (in other words, what is the importance of ethical consumption to begin with). The daily task assignment from an anonymous student who has previously taken English 145 detailing the unethical business practices of Nestlé will be analyzed to show aspects of a strong argument, and areas in which the student could have improved upon their writing. 

As shown in Fig. 3, the student starts the paragraph weakly, with a level 2-3 sentence (for more information on what each sentence level entails and how a paragraph should correctly be structured, visit the Paragraph Structure webpage). Instead of introducing a general problem statement regarding the unethical practices of food conglomerates, the student chose to focus on Nestlé in particular, which reflects more of a level 2-3 sentence. Moreover, after the topic sentence, the student chooses to jump into a piece of evidence, a level 1 sentence, rather than discussing more about the problem statement with level 2-3 sentences then leading into a level 1 sentence with strong evidence. Moving forward in the paragraph, Fig. 4 shows that there is a section with four level 1 sentences, back-to-back. All of this information is difficult to digest at once when executed this way, and when there is no analysis of the given evidence, ultimately detracting from the argument. The student could remedy this by employing level 2 and 3 sentences to analyze the evidence and give the reader a better sense of how the actions of the company which they are detailing in their evidence apply to the real world. The concluding sentences of the paragraph shown in Fig. 5 are the best parts of the paragraph, as the level 3 to level 4 to level 5 sentence progression is indicative of a strong argument and ending to a paragraph. Moreover, the level 5 sentence builds upon the argument and applies the rhetoric into a real world example and employs a call-to-action, which helps the reader feel that they gained something from reading the paragraph. Furthermore, this call-to-action could potentially inspire readers to take action in their own consumption decisions, believing that their decisions truly have influence on the business practices of these large conglomerates. 

Visual arguments work especially well when addressing ethical consumerism and brands. Fig. 6 is an example of how visuals and text can be combined to provide succinct, useful, and directed information. Utilizing the emotional appeal of pathos is the most effective way for individuals to become motivated to choose the often more expensive ethical option in the supermarket. Uusitalo and Oksanen implied as much their survey of Finnish consumers, concluding “Public policy makers and firms interested in ethical consumerism should pay attention to consumers’ confusion and uncertainty,” and that, “It remains a future challenge for firms to find ways to present ethical product alternatives visibly and convey reliable information about ethics in order to justify why a given product meets ethical standards, and why that product may cost more than other products” (220). Emotional visual arguments are visible because they stick out as compared to other forms of media, and address consumer’s confusion and uncertainty because they provide an overview of what a certain firm has or has not done to pursue ethics. Fig. 6 satisfies both these requirements by an adequate use of contrasting colors and minimal use of text to convey accurate information. However, caution must be exercised as to color choice and what is communicated to the viewer. Fig. 6 is imperfect in this regard, as while the intent of the text is to display the unethical practices of Amazon, the green color pallet harms the extent to which the image conveys the emotion impressed upon the text. This is most clear with the thumbs down on the right side, which is colored in green instead of a more applicable color such as red, thereby conveying a more neutral or positive emotion in the viewer in contrast to the intended negative reaction by the creator. As such, visual arguments work especially well for writing about ethical consumerism.

How to Ethically Consume - Additional Resources

Works Cited