What are ethical consumers?
Ethical consumers buy products and services that benefit the environment and humanity. They do this by avoiding products and services from companies that violate human rights, exploit workers, or pollute the environment (Shaw & Clarke 1999). Ethical consumption can, therefore, be seen as a consumption pattern in which the emphasis is on buying sustainable and fair-trade products.
In this essay, I will first address why ethical consumption among young people can be seen as prosocial behaviour and why promoting this behaviour is desirable. Subsequently, I will give three explanations for ethical consumption among young people. The essay concludes with recommendations and pitfalls of policy interventions promoting ethical consumption among young people.
What is prosocial behaviour?
Prosocial behaviour is defined as incurring a cost to an individual and benefits others. Ethical consumption falls under prosocial behaviour because buying sustainable and fair trade products entails more costs that benefit others.
Buying sustainable products, for example, benefits future generations because renewable resources are used. In addition, sustainable consumption contributes to a more liveable climate by limiting pollution.
The higher cost of ethical products can encompass more than just a higher price of the product.
The higher cost of ethical products can encompass more than just the product’s price. These costs can also consist of higher search costs because the product is available in fewer places. In addition, the product’s usefulness may be lower. This is the case, for example, with more energy-efficient but less powerful household appliances.
The actual social benefits of sustainable and fair trade products are regularly discussed. For example, when forests are cut down to grow palm oil for biodiesel. In addition, avoiding companies that do not act ethically can also have more negative than positive effects. This is for example the case when organizations lay off employees due to decreased turnover.
In this essay, we will assume that buying sustainable and fair trade products has a positive effect on the climate and the well-being of others.
Why is it important to encourage ethical consumption among young people?
Encouraging ethical consumption among young people is important in promoting a more sustainable and prosperous world. Young people are busy developing their identity, and during this period, they are open to integrating new insights and behaviours (Blasi, 2004).
When prosocial behaviour is part of this identity, they are more likely to engage in prosocial behaviour in the future (Aquino & Reed, 2002). In addition, today’s young people are the ambassadors of ethical consumption for future generations.
How can ethical consumption be promoted?
It is important to understand why young people consume ethically to determine how ethical consumption can be promoted among them.
The first explanation can be found in the socialization process. During the socialization process, norms and values from the environment are internalized. Various institutions such as family, work, associations and education play a role. Since the internalization of norms mainly occurs in childhood, the most prominent role in the socialization process is attributed to the parents. When looking at parenting styles and the internalization of prosocial norms in children, it appears that an authoritative parenting style promotes prosocial behaviour (Baumsteiger, 2019).
It should be noted that socialization only contributes to prosocial behaviour when institutions propagate it. In an environment where institutions display antisocial behaviour, there is a good chance that this behaviour will also be internalized.
A second explanation for ethical consumption among young people can be found in the ‘costly signalling theory’. Costly signals provide information about qualities that are difficult to observe without a costly signal such as; reliability, resilience and discipline (Smith & Bliege Bird, 2000).
Costly signals are, therefore, an important means of gaining status in a group. Ethical consumption can be seen as a costly signal. This is because ethical consumption says something about the willingness to put the interests of others before one’s self-interest. In addition, ethical consumption shows that someone can bear the higher costs of ethical products.
The operation of costly signals among humans has been particularly demonstrated within primitive societies. In these primitive societies, dangerous and demanding hunting methods are a standard costly signal. The hunters show that they are strong and reliable by undertaking these activities. This increases the hunters’ status, giving them an advantage over those who do not participate in the hunt. This advantage can consist of a greater willingness to share and cooperate and a greater chance of finding a suitable partner. Bereczkei, Birkas, & Kerekes (2010) show that similar mechanisms work in contemporary society. These findings show that reciprocity and status mechanisms play an important role in displaying prosocial behaviour.
In today’s society, the receiver and giver of prosocial behaviour often do not belong to the same group. As a result, the displayed prosocial behaviour is more often anonymous, so reciprocity plays a smaller role. The research by Griskevicius, V., Tybur, JM & Van den Bergh, B. (2010) shows that status motives play an important role. The research shows that people are more willing to buy a sustainable product when status motives are activated. Even when sustainable products are more expensive than non-sustainable products, and when purchases are visible to others, a sustainable product is more likely to be chosen than a more luxurious, non-sustainable product.
Why do youngsters not consume sustainably?
In addition to explanations for sustainable consumption, it is relevant to look into why young people do not consume sustainably. An obvious explanation is that young people often have a limited budget and are, therefore, more likely to opt for the cheaper, usually less sustainable or responsible option. Yet it also applies to young people that consumption is not only done to meet materialistic needs but also to be able to adopt a certain identity. Since young people are still developing their identity and want to belong to the group, they are sensitive to what others do and the behaviour of role models. However, when ethical consumption is not part of the behaviour displayed by most in the group, others are also less likely to engage in this behaviour.
Three recommendations for promoting ethical consumption among youngsters
The first policy recommendation concerns the socialization process. To stimulate ethical consumption in the socialization process, it is important that institutions recognize the importance of ethical consumption. People and organisations increasingly recognize the need for sustainable and responsible consumption. In many cases, it has also become part of the education curriculum. Ethical consumption is increasingly embedded in the institutions that influence young people. The second step is to get young people to internalize prosocial behaviour. Because young people are looking for independence, institutions must recognize the independence of young people. Parents, teachers, and volunteers within an association can do this by focusing on coaching instead of leading. This encourages young people to act based on their motivation and reduces the chance that they will resist the set standard.
The second policy recommendation relates to the status mechanisms of ethical consumption. By keeping the price of ethical products high and designing products so that it is visible to third parties that someone has purchased an ethical product, status mechanisms can be strengthened. There are, however, several limitations to this policy intervention. First, an artificially high price can also cause the product to be sold at a lower price than when the price is low. Meat substitutes in the Netherlands are currently 3 to 4 times more expensive than meat (Volkskrant, 2019). This is an important reason why many young people opt for meat products. Offering sustainable products in exclusive and affordable variants can be an opportunity to reap the benefits of the status mechanisms without excluding consumers.
In addition to exclusion, status competition can lead to sub-optimal use of the sustainable product. For example, when a choice is made to drive a hybrid car for reasons of status. Due to its heavier weight, a hybrid car that is not charged consumes more fuel than a car that runs entirely on fuel. The purchase of a hybrid is, therefore, only sustainable if the owner is willing also to connect it to the charging station. Status motives can also lead to purchasing more products, which burdens the environment more. After all, only a few products can be produced entirely energy-neutral.
Alternatives from which less status is derived, such as purchasing second-hand furniture or clothing, are better options. Smart marketing can increase the status of second-hand or repaired products. For example, the outdoor brand Patagonia launched the ‘wornwear’ segment where consumers are encouraged to have clothing repaired and where repaired clothing is offered (https://wornwear.patagonia.com/). These examples show that status mechanisms can be a valuable tool, but that there are also externalities lurking.
The third and final recommendation concerns the group to which young people belong. Because the development of identity among young people is still developing and they want to belong to the group, they are sensitive to group norms (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). This can be both an opportunity and a threat to encourage ethical consumption among young people. When the descriptive norm within the group is to buy sustainable and fair trade products, likely, new group members will also adopt ethical consumption. However, if this is not the case, individual group members will not quickly go against the applicable norm (van Vugt, Griskevicius, & Schultz, 2014).
Therefore, communicating the descriptive standard can best happen when it is in line with ethical consumption. For example, the statistics show that more than 70% of young people prefer sustainable and fair trade products that are best communicated widely (Zollo, 2020). The finding that only one-tenth of this 70% turns to ethical consumption, on the other hand, is better communicated in absolute numbers than in proportion. For example, by stating how many sustainable products have been sold (Schultz, Nolan, Cialdini, Goldstein, & Griskevicius, 2007).
The social control of the group can also be used to bring about a certain change. For example, an English study showed that placing the text ”Does the person next to you wash his hands with soap?” effectively promotes hand washing after using the toilet. (Judah et al., 2009). This method can also encourage young people to consume more sustainably. For example, by placing the text “Do your colleagues also reuse their coffee cups?”
Conclusion
Young people are the ethical consumers of the future and ambassadors of ethical consumption for new generations. Therefore, it is very important to stimulate ethical consumption among young people. The great thing is that everyone can contribute to this and that many good initiatives have already been devised. Which initiatives would you like to see developed in your environment?
References
Aquino, K., & Reed II, A. (2002). The self-importance of moral identity.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83(6), 1423-1440. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.83.6.1423
Baumeister, R., & Leary, M. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation.Psychological Bulletin, 117, 497-529. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.117.3.497
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Bereczkei, T., Birkas, B., & Kerekes, Z. (2010). Altruism towards strangers in need: Costly signaling in an industrial society.Evolution and Human Behaviour, 31(2), 95-103. doi: 0.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2009.07.004.
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Hastings, PD, Miller, JG, & Troxel, NR (2014). Making Good: The Socialization of Children’s Prosocial Development. In J. E. Grusec & P. D. Hastings (Eds.). Handbook of Socialization: Theory and Research (pp. 637-660). Guilford Publications. ProQuest Ebook Central. Chapter 27. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/rug/detail.action?docID=1768753
Hastings, PD, Zahn-Waxler, C., Robinson, J., Usher, B., & Bridges, D. (2000). The development of concern for others in children with behavior problems.Developmental Psychology, 36(5), 531-546. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.36.5.531
Judah, G., Aunger, R., Schmidt, W., Michie, S., Granger, S., & Curtis, V. (2009). Experimental pretesting of hand-washing interventions in a natural setting.Am J Public Health, 99, S405-S411. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2009.164160
Reijn, G. (2019, 27 February). Meat substitutes are very expensive, but why? De Volkskrant, p.8. Retrieved fromhttps://www.volkskrant.nl/economie/vleessubstituteds-zijn-peperduur-maar-waarom~b395078d/
Schultz, PW, Nolan, JM, Cialdini, RB, Goldstein, NJ, & Griskevicius, V. (2007) . The constructive, destructive, and reconstructive power of social norms.Psychol Sci, 18(5), 429-434. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01917.x
Smith, E., & Bliege Bird, R. (2000). Turtle hunting and tombstone opening: Public generosity as costly signalling. Evolution and Human Behavior : Official Journal of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, 21, 245-261.
van Vugt, M., Griskevicius, V., & Schultz, PW (2014). Naturally green: Harnessing stone age psychological biases to foster environmental behaviour.Social Issues and Policy Review, 8(1), 1-32. doi:10.1111/sipr.12000
Zollo, L. (2020). The consumers’ emotional dog learns to persuade its rational tail: Toward a social intuitionist framework of ethical consumption. Journal of Business Ethics,doi:10.1007/s10551-019-04420-4
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