The TSIC recently released a briefing on ‘The Growing Power of Ethical Consumers’. The market for ethical goods and services has increased 15% year on year for the past decade and has continued to grow throughout the recession. On average, consumers are willing to pay a 19% price premium for ethical goods, with social causes such as fair trade and charitable causes being viewed most favourably by consumers. Today’s savvy shoppers are looking for better value as well as greater meaning in their spending.
In response, companies have attempted to strengthen their ethical credentials through different approaches – some have done it successfully by taking on a new institutional ethos, while others have been heavily condemned for ‘ethic-washing’. Through these examples, the briefing highlights the underlying factors that make for a successful social programme and the pitfalls that should be avoided.
The full briefing is available at http://bit.ly/fjv3hj