Transformative Ethical/Sustainable Consumption Research

Abstract

First paragraph: Ethical and sustainable consumption has burgeoned as a research topic for over four decades, with early work in the 1970s considering the profile and consumption behaviors of the “socially conscious” consumer niche (e.g., Anderson & Cunningham, 1972; Webster, 1975; Brooker, 1976; Mayer, 1976; Scott, 1977). Yet, it can be argued that these decades of research effort have done little to shift the consumption patterns of the mainstream. Overall levels of consumption and the disposable society continue to rise, while market shares of ethical and sustainable products and services remain low (Bray, Johns, & Kilburn, 2011). These consumption trends continue despite the backdrop of climate change, increased visibility of labor practices in developing countries, and global economic crisis.