What is conscious consumerism?

Conscious consumerism can be as simple as buying what you need. It can start with the mindful approach of just saying no to that cute cheap dress or an extra car in the house or even over-ordering food!

Buying products made from recycled items, or getting an eco-friendly product, how does one identify what constitutes conscious consumer behaviour. Consumer decisions based on certain unique factors directs towards a unique behaviour wherein other than the utility other characteristics of a commodity also affect demand. These factors could range from cruelty-free products to all organic items. While the term is quite relative, consumerism certainly has a positive meaning, stating that proactive consumers make a difference by altering their consumer decisions based on environmental or other socio-economic factors having a positive impact.

The negative impacts created by a culture of consumerism is sought to be balanced by conscious consumerism. This concept focuses on making positive decisions concerning the buying process to outset the damage caused by consumerism. This concept seeks to promote more sustainable practices among businesses and to ensure transparency between buyers and sellers as to the contents and the production process of commodities. It is an attempt to sway the market through the conscious demand of the consumers in a more positive direction to negate the harmful impact of business activities. More and more consumers around the globe are becoming aware of their buying power and are using it to create a positive change by only buying from entities that are ethical and beneficial for the environment and society. Since this concept has recently emerged the younger generation with the privilege to make a global impact have been adopting this concept. It was observed by the Nielsen Global Survey of Corporate Social Responsibility report published in 2015 that millennial consumers were willing to pay more for sustainable products.

Increased connectivity and easy access to information have enabled more and more people to gain the requisite knowledge about their available options to make a positive buying decision. Conscious consumerism is shaping a new requirement for business to conform to which is beneficial for the planet as well as the social body. Conscious consumers can turn the tide of consumer-based products in a more sustainable direction with their demand. Ethical practices, transparency and sustainability form the basis of conscious consumerism. This concept is very important in these precarious times and every consumer must make an effort to conform to this concept as far as practicable to conserve our planet and our society.


Source and References:

  1. NH Staff, What Is A Conscious Consumer And Why Does It Matter?, Naturehub (Aug 18, 2018) https://medium.com/naturehub/what-is-a-conscious-consumer-and-why-does-it-matter-4b7a14ca08fc
  2. Piyush Pranjal, Ayush Bansal & Ish Dutt, Opinion: ‘Conscious consumerism’- what is it? What of it?, Campaign India (Aug 6, 2020) https://www.campaignindia.in/article/opinion-conscious-consumerism-what-is-it-what-of-it/462804
Scarlett Cook, What is conscious consumerism?, Startups UK  https://startups.co.uk/sustainability/what-is-conscious-consumerism/

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