At the cross section of behavioral economics and ethics lies the blueprint of ethical consumption. As a core tenet of ethical consumption, fair trade ‒ a movement and label for products supplied by producers with fair and safe compensation for their work ‒ behaves as a combatant against human rights violations, particularly human trafficking, and promotes transparency and development for “marginalized” workers. With a 15% global increase in fair trade sales from 2012 to 2013, according to Fairtrade International, a major fair trade certifier since 1997, fair trade has grown in recognition in both consumer and academic circles, spurring extensive investigation into the internal and external components of ethical consumption. The factors influencing
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This literature review focuses primarily on the innate and personal circumstance contributing to fair trade consumerism.
An “Ethical Consumerism: Are Unethical Labour Practices Important to Consumers?” explores the impact of negative publicity for unethical producers through a survey given to students enrolled at the University of Queensland. The peer-reviewed article from the Journal of Research for Consumers evaluated responses from a group given anti-Nike promotions from Oxfam’s ‘NikeWatch’ Campaign and a control group, and found that only a few questions received significantly different responses; the questions that differed were not consumer-based and focused mostly on attitudes towards the issue of labor exploitation. The researchers concluded, with reservations, that negative information about labor practices can evoke some negative emotion towards unethical producers, but not enough to alter consumer behavior. This article adds a new component to other research on the marketing of ethical products, suggesting that it may be easier to sell ethical products than to prevent the sale of unethical products. These findings reveal the comparative importance of “buycotting,” the purchase of moral alternatives …show more content…
The research yielded five motivations for fair trade clothing purchases within the categories of hedonic and utilitarian reasoning: the hedonic reasons include self gratification, senses, and new trends, while the utilitarian motives consist of social and beneficial, or altruistic, reasons. Most consumers studied were influenced by both hedonic and utilitarian motivations, but appeal to the senses, as well as personal gain, comprised the largest portion of the consumers’ motivation. The impact consumers believed they made through their purchase also influenced their level of consumption, as greater impact led to higher levels of consumption. While the research does not review consumers’ personalities, the internal influences demonstrate the divergence in consumers’ reasons, sustaining the idea that personality plays a major role in ethical
This literature review focuses primarily on the innate and personal circumstance contributing to fair trade consumerism.
An “Ethical Consumerism: Are Unethical Labour Practices Important to Consumers?” explores the impact of negative publicity for unethical producers through a survey given to students enrolled at the University of Queensland. The peer-reviewed article from the Journal of Research for Consumers evaluated responses from a group given anti-Nike promotions from Oxfam’s ‘NikeWatch’ Campaign and a control group, and found that only a few questions received significantly different responses; the questions that differed were not consumer-based and focused mostly on attitudes towards the issue of labor exploitation. The researchers concluded, with reservations, that negative information about labor practices can evoke some negative emotion towards unethical producers, but not enough to alter consumer behavior. This article adds a new component to other research on the marketing of ethical products, suggesting that it may be easier to sell ethical products than to prevent the sale of unethical products. These findings reveal the comparative importance of “buycotting,” the purchase of moral alternatives …show more content…
The research yielded five motivations for fair trade clothing purchases within the categories of hedonic and utilitarian reasoning: the hedonic reasons include self gratification, senses, and new trends, while the utilitarian motives consist of social and beneficial, or altruistic, reasons. Most consumers studied were influenced by both hedonic and utilitarian motivations, but appeal to the senses, as well as personal gain, comprised the largest portion of the consumers’ motivation. The impact consumers believed they made through their purchase also influenced their level of consumption, as greater impact led to higher levels of consumption. While the research does not review consumers’ personalities, the internal influences demonstrate the divergence in consumers’ reasons, sustaining the idea that personality plays a major role in ethical