Posted on December 1st, 2009 by Veronique Jochum in Archived related news
Tagged as: ethical consumerism, individual participation
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The article ‘Can Red lattes beat Aids in Africa?’ which refers to Starbucks joining the Red Campaign led to quite a debate on the Guardian website probably because it concluded:
“Buying Red merchandise to fight Aids in Africa promotes the delusion that shopping can be the solution to serious social problems. Consumer activism by affluent individuals increasingly replaces collective political action. The campaign also perpetuates the individualistic fantasy that our lives are not connected but entirely detached. So consumers can become heroes without having to sacrifice anything as if we have nothing to contribute to global injustices.”
For more on ethical consumerism have a look at Karl Wilding’s previous post on the subject or visit the NCVO Third Sector Foresight website that looks at the key strategic drivers influencing the UK voluntary sector, one of which is ethical consumerism.