Consuming Choices: Ethics in a Global Consumer Age

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We’re all consumers. We’re offered an endless range of desirable products, displayed on glossy shelves at remarkably affordable prices. But how much do we understand about where these products come from and the damage they do to our planet? And does the moral culpability fall solely on the companies themselves or does it also fall on us as consumers?

David T. Schwartz, Professor of Philosophy at Randolph College, explores these questions and many more in the Second Edition of Consuming Choices. It’s a book intended to provide its readers with the knowledge and tools to judge whether we have a moral obligation to boycott certain products and the effects such actions can have.

It sets up multiple scenarios, both historical and fictional, to illustrate the many different problems with mass consumerism. The unethical practices explored, include worker exploitation, animal suffering and environmental damage.

A recurring theme throughout the book is the problem of collective responsibility in a globalised consumer market. Schwartz explores whether consumers have a moral obligation to avoid particular products. He observes that individuals are increasingly unwilling to take responsibility for their purchasing behaviour (the ‘If I don’t buy it, then someone else will’ excuse).

For Schwartz, this is particularly problematic and he makes a strong moral and outcome-based case presenting boycotting as a consumer strategy to challenge corporate practice. He argues that boycotting a certain product is a powerful statement of refusal to partake in such behaviours. This form of collective action can, and has in the past, had significant effects in reducing demand and therefore challenging the commercial strategy.

“The signature ethical problem of the global consumer society is our responsibility for the unethical practices that lie behind the products we buy.” - David T. Schwartz

So, is it really possible to have ‘ethically clean hands’, in a economic system that is reliant upon an ever-growing rate of consumption? Schwartz admits that within the current system it’s essentially impossible to be completely harm free. However, it is possible to significantly reduce our ‘consumer footprint’ with some small changes to our buying habits. To aid this process he provides four moral ‘wrongdoings’ to consider when making purchases: harm to others, injustice, bad outcomes and moral offence.

Schwartz also offers strategies to help individuals make improved ethical purchasing decisions and finishes with a simple set of ‘Consumer Life Daily Rules’. When applied in harmony with the moral wrongdoings above, these provide a useful checklist for making conscious buying choices:

1. Avoid products that cause harm to others.
2. Bad outcomes — choose between the lesser of two evils.
3. Think about implications that stem from morally offensive products.
4. Consider the purpose of purchasing — is it a luxury or a necessity?

Being a consumer is integral to the human experience. But, Consuming Choices highlights the questions that we should be asking, not only as individuals, but as a society. It’s a detailed philosophical exploration on consumer ethics that a casual observer and ardent activist can learn from in equal measure.

To find out more, visit: consumingchoices.com

Published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers