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Bags for Life: The Embedding of Ethical Consumerism

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  • Pamela Yeow
  • Alison Dean
  • Danielle Tucker

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to understand why some ethical behaviours fail to embed, and importantly what can be done about it. We address this by looking at an example where ethical behaviour has not become the norm, i.e. the widespread, habitual, use of ‘bags for life’. This is an interesting case because whilst a consistent message of ‘saving the environment’ has been the basis of the promotion of ‘bags for life’ in the United Kingdom for many years, their uptake has only recently become more widespread and still remains at low levels. Through an exploratory study, we unpack some of the contextual barriers which may influence ethical consumerism. We do this by examining the attitudes which influenced people to start using ‘bags for life’, and how people persuade others to use ‘bags for life’. We use a case study analysis to try and understand why ethical behaviour change has stalled and not become sustained. We find that both individuals and institutions play a significant interaction role in encouraging a sustained behavioural change towards ethical consumerism. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Pamela Yeow & Alison Dean & Danielle Tucker, 2014. "Bags for Life: The Embedding of Ethical Consumerism," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 125(1), pages 87-99, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:125:y:2014:i:1:p:87-99
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-013-1900-2
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. José Magano & Manuel Au-Yong-Oliveira & Bruna Ferreira & Ângela Leite, 2022. "A Cross-Sectional Study on Ethical Buyer Behavior towards Cruelty-Free Cosmetics: What Consequences for Female Leadership Practices?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-15, June.
    3. Nguyen, Hien Thi, 2023. "Impacts of Education and Perception on Vietnamese High School Students' Behaviors Regarding Plastic Waste : The Mediating Role of Attitude," OSF Preprints zn2k7, Center for Open Science.
    4. Michael P. Schlaile & Katharina Klein & Wolfgang Böck, 2018. "From Bounded Morality to Consumer Social Responsibility: A Transdisciplinary Approach to Socially Responsible Consumption and Its Obstacles," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 149(3), pages 561-588, May.
    5. Mosa Aseri & Zaid Ahmad Ansari, 2023. "Purchase Behaviour of Green Footwear in Saudi Arabia Using Theory of Planned Behaviour," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-17, March.
    6. Percy Marquina & Vincent Charles, 2021. "A Bayesian resampling approach to estimate the difference in effect sizes in consumer social responses to CSR initiatives versus corporate abilities," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(6), pages 1680-1699, November.

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