Ethical consumerism is all about buying products that have been made in a sustainable manner and don’t cause any harm to the environment. Consumers can extend their support to environmental sustainability, better working conditions for the workers, reduced greenhouse gas emission and upliftment of communities only by choosing ethically made goods. There is a direct relation between ethical consumption and the growth of progressive companies.

There are several benefits associated with ethical shopping. This has been considered one of the effective ways to attain sustainable development and better living conditions for communities. According to experts, trading of goods and services is good but it should not affect the development of local communities or reduce biodiversity. If production of goods increases the divide between the rich and poor sections of the society, it cannot be considered good for sustainable development.

It is the responsibility of consumers to support the rights of workers who produce goods for them. More than the government and green companies, it is the responsibility of consumers to realize their role in combating climate change. Their choice of products will make sure whether or not a company causing destruction to the environment should be closed down. In the US, efforts are being made to support social and environmental causes so that the concept of ethical consumerism can be advanced to the next level in the coming years. The government has also banned several non-ethical products to eliminate bad choices
from the buyers.

The present need is to bring ethical consumerism to the fore so that more consumers across the globe start shopping for products that are ethically produced. The rate of fair trade purchase is increasing in several countries and consumer behavior also seems to be changing in regard to ethically consumption. Due to the rising popularity of ethical consumerism, many companies have been
encouraged to turn ‘green’ and enhance their production activities. This is being done in order to meet the consumer demand for more transparency in production methods. Marketing activities are also being improved to support the ethical consumerism revolution.

Author's Bio: 

Kevin Long is the founder of Global Deaf Connection and the co-founder of Justmeans, a social utility site that helps companies to attract and ignite advocates of better business and good work related to Ethical consumption, sustainable development.
Kevin has done significant business development work for both for-profit and non-profit organizations.