How Consumer Activism Is Making A Difference

The events of the last few years, with widespread global economic uncertainty and

rising unemployment, have focused public attention on an array of issues which had received relatively little consideration over the preceding couple of decades. The distribution of wealth, the effects of economic inequality and what really constitutes a fair wage have been at the heart of the post-crisis debate, whilst other major issues such as the environment and climate change were already high up the agenda. However, many people have voiced frustration at their apparent inability to bring about genuine change, and this is also a key element of the current discourse.

The political response to the mounting social and economic problems of recent years has prompted intense criticism, with some suggesting that governments are themselves weakened by their close links with big business. The lack of confidence in politicians ability to respond and map out a long-term strategy rather than drifting from election to election with no concept of what might happen further down the line has led some consumers to take matters into their own hands. The concept of corporate social responsibility has been highlighted as a potential target for ethically-minded consumers keen to shape the behaviour of large businesses so that they adjust their own practices to eradicate exploitation of people and natural resources.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, consumer awareness of ethical issues was on the increase but its only since the global financial crisis of 2008 that there has really been a sustained effort by ordinary people to make a positive change to the world in which we live. Whilst corporate social responsibility may sound suspiciously like a buzzword, there is genuine substance behind it businesses are more sensitive to any perceived threats to their bottom line than anything else, and the prospect of consumers withdrawing their custom strikes fear into even the most aloof corporation. There are those who believe appealing to businesses sense of corporate social responsibility is in fact a more effective way of advancing certain social goals than appealing to politicians.

Another good example of an ethically-minded programme backed by activist consumers is the Fairtrade campaign, which aims to meet a range of social and environmental goals. Fairtrade products have come to seize a significant share of the British grocery market, and have continued to sell well even at a time when many households across the country are feeling the financial squeeze suggesting that there is a deep-seated sense of ethics among UK shoppers.

by: Alan Trotter

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