The Conscientious Consumer

When I was in business school I took a class in business ethics.  The assigned text was the shortest book in the curriculum and most of the students enjoyed the class because ethics was an easy target for young capitalists with bottom-line thinking.

Today, it seems, we've reached a tipping point in ethical commerce.  A point where conspicuous consumption  seems to be giving way to, or morphing into conscientious consumption.   At least there's enough supporting evidence of the trend to deserve a place in Time Magazine's "What's Next?" issue from a couple weeks ago.

The article cites some of the usual suspects in ethical consumerism:

• Angelina Jolie shopping at Whole Foods
• Leo DiCaprio driving a Toyota Prius
• Pangea Organics, a cosmetics company based out of Boulder CO.
• The rise of sustainable pre-fab home construction (think Dwell magazine)
• Tree, Edun, Rogan denim brands

Conspicuously absent were the (RED) campaign and LiveStrong, the Lance Armstrong/Nike fight against cancer, which are probably the most advanced experiments yet in conscientious consumption.  These were created explicitly as marketing ideas to see if people would be willing to buy for the cause.  And they did. 

But where I disagree with the article is when they explain their rationale for why this happening.  Their data set includes evidence like "...according to recent research, time means more than money...people want health and peace of mind...experiences and relationships matter more than gadgets."  From this, they appear to conclude "people want less, not more." 

The implication is that the conscientious consumer is anti-consumerist.  But that's really not true.   People bought the yellow bracelet and got the RED AMEX card and iPod.  Consumerism isn't going away, it's just taking on a new form. 

Conscientious Consumption is part altruism.  It is about thinking and buying differently.  It's about being aware of how something was made, not just who made the something.  It's about being for a more responsible kind of capitalism and against a wasteful one. 

And while this form of consumerism may be different than the binge-and-purge kind that created a nationwide storage shortage, it still may be conspicuous.  Conscientious consumption is also partly about status.  It's about showing everybody else that you care, you're smart and in the know about the long-term effects of your purchases on the wider world.

So why is this new form of consumerism happening now? 

Maslow would probably say that most of our basic needs are mainly satisfied, so we're able to think about things bigger than ourselves.  And I suspect that is partly true. 

But I also suspect it's that we've run out of ways to differentiate ourselves from the masses.  And being a person who cares just might be the latest trend that allows you to do it.

Comments

[Tony]

Conscientious Consumption is like religion: "If I pray everyday then there's a good chance that I'll go to heaven -- I'm doing a good thing." So as "I'll drive an electric car, eat organic foods and use long-life light bulbs -- I've done my share for the planet. Now the guilt is off my mind."

I don't know what everybody does in their career. But I know few of us feel we can really change the way a business is run. So we do what we can at home, in our private lives. If only more people/companies can set to make the changes on the business end, and then we won't worry so much on the consumer end.

[hanhanjcs@hotmail.com]

Do people really think that that really? Do people out there believe that is they do a few 'good green' things then they can chage the world??

[Buy Online Rx]

And this is why they have no ideas. Their one real idea, that they born with whips and spurs so that they should ride the rest of us who were born with saddles and halters, has proved as vain as the divine right of kings. All the left has left is the gall-bitter knowledge of defeat and a purblind hatred of the Jews and the United States.

[buy cialis]

Leo DiCaprio driving a Toyota Prius????? is it true?? I cannot believe it, I guess DiCaprio drives a Mercedes-Benz,or a BMW, so I think that it is really crazy!22dd

[Fashion clothing store]

Has read all in detail, excellent blog! If only more people/companies can set to make the changes on the business end, and then we won't worry so much on the consumer end.

[Camarad]

What an excellent blog! Their one real idea, that they born with whips and spurs so that they should ride the rest of us who were born with saddles and halters, has proved as vain as the divine right of kings. All the left has left is the gall-bitter knowledge of defeat and a purblind hatred of the Jews and the United States.

[Kristen Stewart]

What remarkable post! When I was in business school I took a class in business ethics. The assigned text was the shortest book in the curriculum and most of the students enjoyed the class because ethics was an easy target for young capitalists with bottom-line thinking.