ABSTRACT
Alongside globalisation of markets and the spread of consumer culture, there is a heightened awareness of the social and environmental effects that consumerism brings. Nowadays there are few who would argue against the many known consequences of contemporary lifestyles in terms of pollution and destruction to the natural world. Documented effects, such as the hole in the ozone layer and global warming, have led to a major growth in campaign pressure groups who attempt to influence business and government to take steps to become more socially responsible. Nor is it only in relation to environmental issues (e.g. sustainability); many consumers now espouse a wide range of causes from human rights and animal protection to many other charitable concerns and ethical behaviours. This has given rise to the notion of the Ethical Consumer (a concept that we will question later in this chapter) who uses buying patterns to support certain companies and react against others. Such is the extent of moralistic concerns played out in the marketplace that ethical consumption can no longer be regarded as a quirky niche market. From the mainstreaming of Fairtrade, to Coca-Cola’s recent advertising campaign designed to ease the India/Pakistan conflict, there are many brands taking up social causes and putting forth moral agendas. This ‘moralised brandscape’ (Salzer-Mörling and Strannegård, 2007) is also explored in the chapter, as well as more critical voices that scrutinise and challenge corporate claims and activities. First, however, we consider the phenomenon of ethical consumption.
