ethical consumer at mmu black friday 2015

27th November 2015

BLACK FRIDAY

vs

BUY NOTHING DAY

Our Ethical Ratings

- Marketing- Ethical Consumer - Defining Ethics- The Ethical Market- Social Commentary- Citizen not ConsumerDon't forget the competition!

Simon RobinsonEthical Consumer Research Association

What I'm covering today

Black Friday

Amazon

During Black Friday 2014, Amazon achieved its busiest sales day to date with 5.5 million items ordered at a rate of 64 items per second.

In 2014, Amazon paid just £11.9m in corporate taxeson sales of £5.3bn, a rate of less than 0.3%.

Buy Nothing Day

Fat Face

Ethical consumer choices are not new

US President Benjamin Harrison, 1891

“I pity the man who wants a coat so cheap that the man or woman who produces the cloth or shapes it into a garment will starve in the process”

1989 – The year of the birth of Ethical Consumer

About Ethical Consumer

For over 25 years Ethical Consumer has been the heart of the ethical consumer movement. Our mission is to make global business more sustainable through consumer pressure. 

Ethical Consumer Research Association is an independent, not-for-profit, multi-stakeholder co-operative with open membership, based in Hulme, Manchester. 

Ahead of the curve

Magazine

Magazine

Online

Campaigns

Campaigns

Campaigns

Annual Conference

Best Buy Label

Our best buy label is the last word on ethical labelling, making it even easier to find the products and services that reflect your principles.

Looks in detail at the ethical record of the company behind the product and the environmental and ethical record of the product itself.

Consultancy

Consultancy

How do we define what is ethical?

Our Ethical Ratings

l Environmentl Human Rightsl Animal Rightsl Politicsl Product Sustainabilty

Cocoa

Cotton

Agro-chemicals

Conflict minerals (electronics)

Electronics Assembly

Palm Oil (food, cosmetics, cleaners)

Oil

Oil

Clothing

Cosmetics

In 1998 how many years would it take for a Haitian employee who makes T-shirts for Disney to earn the same money as Disney's CEO makes in one hour?

Disney T-Shirts in Haiti

The Ethical Market

The Ethical Consumer Markets Report has measured the sales of ethical products in the UK every year since 1999.

It also contains survey data asking consumers about their boycott and other ethical behaviours.

Background data now freely available on a big data platform at Leeds University.

Ethical Consumer Markets Report

Since 1999 sales of ethical products have grown far faster than the rest of the economy (10%+ per year).

Ethical Consumer Markets Report

Now accounts for 5% of all consumer spending.

Some markets are becoming dominated by 'ethical products‘ while others remain relatively untouched.

Ethical Consumer Markets Report

Mainstreaming or very fast growth is best achieved by government intervention to encourage the sales of less damaging products. The FIT scheme and microgeneration Sales of A-rated tax band cars

However, the present government appears ideologically opposed towards (some) regulation.

Ethical Consumer Markets Report

Ethical Consumer Markets Report

Mainstreaming or very fast growth can also be achieved when big companies choose to accredit best selling products. Nestle and Fairtrade Kit Kat M&S and Leaping Bunny Sainsbury and Fairtrade bananas

However this can lead to downward pressure on standards at accrediting organisations.

Ethical Consumer Markets Report

Very fast growth can be achieved by ethical companies buying up other companies.

However this is quite risky.

The Co-op Bank's purchase of the Britannia building society turned out not to be the best decision it has ever made.

Not just with ethical companies - Tesco's overseas acquisitions.

Business response: Ethical marketing

Business response: Ethical marketing

Sainsbury's Supermarket Advert UK 2013

Measuring UK ethical markets

Measuring UK consumer boycott impacts

Measuring UK consumer boycott impacts

The Future – politics and regulation

l Consumers are acting to address issues (like child labour) that could also be addressed by government regulation.

l Globalisation of markets can make regulation technicaly difficult.

l Some academics are now using the expression 'civil regulation' to describe these types of ethical consumer intervention.

l Civil regulation is likely to increase if government regulation is not addressing important social and enviromental externalities

l Some academics also use the expression 'political consumption'

l They argue that this form of political activity is increasing because ordinary electoral politics is discredited or struggling.

The Future – politics and regulation

The Future – ethical markets

In 25 Years Time in EuropeAll businesses will be required by law to report on, and articulate, their ethical positions. 'Ethically' certified produce will have come to dominate all major consumer markets – including clothing. Political campaigning and debate will increasing focus on the certification schemes themselves. Serious ethical procurement by governments will become part of the landscape everywhere. Sustainable lifestyles with fewer, higher-quality, products and ubiquitous renewable energy will be the norm.

Social action on consumerism

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”

William Morris 1834-1896

Social Commentary on Consumerism

Black Friday‘The worst scenes were in Greater Manchester, where at least three people were arrested as fighting broke out between shoppers’Daily Telegraph 28.11.14

Dawn of the DeadThe Mall Scene from George A Romero’s classic 1978 horror film

Social Commentary on Consumerism

Social Commentary on Consumerism

Social Commentary on Consumerism

“We buy things we don't need, with money we don't have,

to impress people we don't like”

Dave Ramsey

Social Commentary on Consumerism

“I see all this potential, and I see it squandered. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables - slaves with white collars.

Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place.

We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our great war is a spiritual war... Our great depression is our lives.

We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars, but we won't. We're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off.”

Social Commentary on Consumerism

Estimated net worth:

$240m

Irony

Our consumer muscle, which is fed and exercised constantly, has grown strong. So strong that “consumer” has become our primary identity, our reason for being.

Citizens or Consumers?

Meanwhile, our citizen muscle has gotten flabby. There’s no marketing campaign reminding us to engage as citizens.

Annie Leonard

“Ethical Consumerism” is generally limited to choosing the most responsible item on the menu, which often leaves us choosing between the lesser of two evils.

Citizens or Consumers?

Citizenship means working to change what’s on the menu, and stuff that trashes the planet or harms people just doesn’t belong. Annie Leonard

Unleash your creativity and create a Buy Nothing Day 'Sub-vert'

l Posterl Video – links onlyl Poem

Send to:simon@ethicalconsumer.org

Closes mid-night13

th December

Competition Time

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Further information