Journal 20: Define "ethical."

Although I completed my required journals for the month, I still have so much more to say on the research I've done this month. Most of it lies within a bigger question pertaining to my topic: what exactly is "ethical", in terms of a consumer good?

This led me to an article from the Guardian where I learned that ethical products are "products which were ethically produced and/or which are not harmful to the environment and society." This would presumably entail that ethical products could be anything that does not cause harm to something else, such as products not sourced from child-labor or the cruelty of animal testing. The article further explained that "Products which fall into the ethical category include organic produce, fair trade goods, energy-efficient light bulbs, electricity from renewable energy, recycled paper and wood products with Forest Stewardship Council approval." This is very similar to what I thought an ethical product was, but I had never thought about some of the organizations in place that can certify a product as ethical. For example, I always thought paper was paper. Who knew that there was such a thing as unethical paper?

The article went on to talk about ethical investment: "Deciding what to buy and what not to buy can be as tricky as deciding which ethical fund to invest in." This led me to wonder about how much of ethical consumerism falls on investors- what kinds of new businesses are stemming from stakeholders with an interest in ethical consumerism? Are investments in non-ethical consumerism becoming less or more frequent?

Although it does fall on the stakeholders to a degree, consumers have the ultimate say in the success of a business. A study reported by the Wall Street Journal tells us that consumers in the study were willing to pay a slightly higher price for consumer goods compared to those not branded as ethically sourced, but were likely to pay for non-ethically sourced goods when they were drastically cheaper than the ethical or indifferent option. This is something I have seen before in every day life: some people are quick to purchase coffee from Starbucks which was reported in 2014 as 96% ethical in terms of its sourcing, yet will only pay dirt cheap prices for the sweatshop-made products of Forever 21 and H&M.

Back to what defines the ethical nature of a product, it has been made clear to me that ethical products are those which are certifiably harmless in terms of its source, people, the environment, and animals. Some questions I still have are:

1. What makes paper and wood products certifiably ethical by the FSC?

2. What role do stakeholders play in the growth or delay of a more ethical market?

3. To what extent do the personal ethics of stakeholders play a role in what they invest in?

4. What would a universal system for declaring a product to be ethical or non-ethical look like?

What makes a paper or wood product certifiable by the FSC?

Being an ethical consumer can also involve watching your food miles: how much energy was used getting the product to you. For this reason, ethical consumers are encouraged to buy products which were produced locally. Find out if there is a farmers' market, or an allotment society near you where you can purchase products.

Ethical consumption can be a powerful tool for change, with the recent success of the anti-GM lobby being a case in point. However, there is still a long way to go. A recent report from the Co-operative Bank showed a third of UK consumers claiming to be concerned about ethical consumption, while only 3% of the UK market is devoted to the production of ethical goods.

Further information can be obtained from organisations such Get Ethical and Ethical Junction.