A history for consumption ethics

Abstract

The histories we give to production and consumption affect our present and future business understandings. We question recent works that have ascribed a relatively short history to consumption ethics. Drawing on writers, across a number of academic disciplines, we conclude evidence exists to make the case against understanding consumption ethics as new to the twenty-first century. We argue that acknowledging a long history for consumption ethics challenges contemporary economic stereotypes of consumers as self-interested maximisers. It also modifies our understanding of the relationship between corporate and consumer social responsibility.

Historicizing Modern Slavery: Free-Grown Sugar as an Ethics-Driven Market Category in Nineteenth-Century Britain

“…Business ethics academics generally regard this phenomenon as a very recent development and most of the narratives about the rise of CSR focus on the period since circa 1990 and on countries with high GDP per capita (Burke et al 2014 ; Carfagna et al 2014 ; Moraes et al 2017 ). Similarly, as Newholm et al ( 2015 ) have noted, the “rise of the ethical consumer” is commonly conceptualized by marketing academics as having taken place relatively recently (i.e., in the late twentieth century) and only in the world’s wealthiest societies. These authors suggest that consumers’ attention to ethics intensifies as GDP per capita increases.…”

Consuming Worker Exploitation? Accounts and Justifications for Consumer (In)action to Modern Slavery

“…It is important to note, however, that the modern slavery context is very different from the identifiable and defined slavery of the 18 th and 19 th centuries that enabled successful antislavery consumer action (e.g., Newholm, Newholm and Shaw, 2015). Modern sites of slavery are complex and fragmented, and modern slavery lacks a clear definition (Gallagher, 2017).…”

“…The 18-19th centuries saw some of the earliest successful forms of anti-slavery consumer activism (e.g., Newholm, Newholm and Shaw, 2015). Indeed, there are many instances where consumer action has been successful in changing exploitative working conditions, with fair trade being a more recent example (Barnett, Cloak, Clarke, Malpass 2010).…”

Sustainable Consumption, Consumer Protection and Sustainable Development: Unbundling Institutional Septet for Developing Economies

“…This conveys the orthodox notion of sustainable consumption as requiring 'sustainable lifestyles' (Targets 4.7 and 12.8 of the SDGs). In several respects, the success of the sustainable development agenda can depend on the behaviour and lifestyle choices of individuals and groups (Shove, 2004), hence the recognition of the role of ethical consumption (Bray and Johns, 2011;Newholm et al, 2015). Some consumers favour 'green consumption' and refrain from purchasing products of unsustainable practices (Black, 2010).…”

“…The septet approach is unlike existing studies (e.g. Shove, 2004;Bray and Johns, 2011;Antonetti, and Maklan, 2014;Newholm et al, 2015;Carrington et al, 2016) which have largely focused on behavioural analyses of consumer behaviour and lifestyle changes. Similarly, 'circular economy' studies emphasise the involvement of corporations/producers and consumers in recycling processes (Winans et al, 2017;Korhonen et al, 2018).…”