Content area
Full text
Introduction
Ethical consumption has gained popularity in recent years (Carrigan et al., 2004; Carter, 2009; Crane and Matten, 2003; Newholm and Shaw, 2007; Pinto et al., 2011; Szmigin et al., 2009). Szmigin et al. (2009) posited that ethical consumption constitutes “positive choice behaviors such as the purchase of fairly traded or environmentally friendly products, and can involve avoidance and boycott of certain goods or companies” (p. 224). Ethical consumption encompasses a wide array of issues such as animal welfare, environmental, fair trade, human rights, fair wages, and self-interested health concerns (Carrigan et al., 2004). For example, green consumption is strongly associated with environmental concerns (Cooper-Martin and Holbrook, 1993). Thus, green consumption is considered a subset of ethical consumption. Suitably, Harrison et al. (2005) defined the “ethical consumer” as one who may “have political, religious, spiritual, environmental, social or other motives for choosing one product over another” (p. 2). It is important to note that traditionally ethical consumption has been associated with environmental concerns, which does not encompass the entire spectrum of ethical consumption behaviors (Cooper-Martin and Holbrook, 1993). Therefore, Cooper-Martin and Holbrook (1993) identified two dimensions of ethical consumption (labeled as ethical space): first, the horizontal axis that represents a continuum from selfish to selfless (i.e. on the left are selfish consumption experiences, which include self-gratification or self-indulgence and on the right are consumption experiences that encompass self-discipline or self-sacrifice) and second, the vertical axis that represents a continuum from active to passive level of activity (i.e. active level of activity represents purposeful purchase to do good, whereas passive level of activity represents a reactive aspect of consumption that does not entail a purpose of doing good; see Cooper-Martin and Holbrook, 1993).
Increasingly, consumers are articulating their interest in ethical consumption (Bray et al., 2011; Carrigan et al., 2004; Kim and Chung, 2011; Vermeir and Verbeke, 2008). The burgeoning interest in ethical consumption among consumers can be attributed to some pertinent grounds such as heightened media coverage, proliferated levels of information, and increased availability of “alternative” products (Newholm and Shaw, 2007; Strong, 1996). Consequently, many major brands are underscoring ethical dimensions as a crucial branding strategy. Accordingly, ethical consumption has percolated into the domain of fashion and ethical fashion...