Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ECIRSWE (Social (im)possibilities of the formation of ethical consumption: A comparative study of Sweden and Iran)
Reporting period: 2021-10-01 to 2023-09-30
The project “Social (im)possibilities of the formation of ethical consumption: A comparative study of Sweden and Iran” examined how different societies develop different forms of ethical consumption, and how people perceive and practice it differently. Ethical consumption involves responsible consumption practices in which individuals consider both the origin of a product or service they are considering purchasing and its potential impact on society and the environment. Concerns are addressed through a range of practices, including supporting products and services that demonstrate responsibility for the environment and the well-being of communities (known as “buycotting”) and refraining from supporting those that disregard environmental sustainability, fair labour practices, and human and animal rights (known as “boycotting”). In this project, we were interested in understanding how these concerns and subsequent actions emerge and develop within societies. Do different social structures, including diverse regulations, policies, markets, availability, norms, and cultures, exert different influences on how these concerns are shaped and acted upon? And if so, through what mechanisms? Is what’s defined as “ethical consumption” in the consumption studies literature a comprehensive representation of various interpretations of consumption ethics among people in different societies? To address these questions, we looked at ethical consumption in Sweden and Iran. Why did we select these two countries? Previous studies have shown that Sweden and many other “Western” countries have high levels of “ethical consumption”, even though they struggle with higher impacts of overconsumption in terms of climate and ecological footprints. In many non-Western societies, such as Iran, there are few studies on “ethical consumption”. As much of our understanding of “ethical consumption” primarily reflects the conditions of consumers in Europe and North America, this project sought to benefit from cross-national comparison.
We first developed a theoretical framework aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of ethical consumption practices. This framework allowed us to extend our analysis beyond the influence of micro-level factors on the shaping of ethical consumption in everyday life. Instead, our focus was on investigating how structural factors either constrain or facilitate ethical consumption practices. This framework was presented in an article titled “Ethical consumption: Why should we understand it as a social practice within a multilevel framework?” in the journal Open Research Europe. This framework also played a central role in our empirical analysis, which involved conducting qualitative interviews with people from Sweden and Iran to study ethical consumption in both countries. We found that ethical consumption practices in Sweden can be developed and achieved through dynamic relationships between everyday life and social structures, which means policy interventions, the actions of civil society organizations and social capacity in Sweden relatively contribute to fostering a proclivity towards ethical consumption. However, our findings also demonstrate that although ethical consumption is a well-established concept in Sweden, it is more focused on shifting consumption from A to B than on reducing the volume of consumption overall. In Iran, on the other hand, “ethical consumption” lacks structural support, and the realization of ethical consumption must follow other paths. It therefore exhibits more individualized, local, and case-by-case definitions and manifestations among Iranian participants. People in Iran prioritize aspects other than environmental concerns when practising ethical consumption. Their main goal with ethical consumption is to protect people rather than the environment. These differences and characteristics will be further explored in two forthcoming publications. During this project, we have also proposed a conceptual analysis of ethical consumption in a paper titled “Ethical Consumption in Three Stages: A Focus on Sufficiency and Care”. In this paper published in the Journal of Environmental Sociology, we argue that the concepts of sufficiency and care carry important ethical meanings that are often overlooked in the existing literature.
Our contribution to the state of the art is threefold:
First, we have proposed a theoretical framework (paper 1) and further theoretical elaboration around the concepts of sufficiency and care, as well as a temporal perspective on ethical consumption (paper 2) that aims to improve our understanding of ethical consumption in terms of both theory and practice, and that is applicable to very different societies (papers 3 & 4). Paper 1 is devoted to integrating Social Practice Theory and the Multi-Level Perspective to explore how broader socio-technical systems, including regulations, markets, norms, and culture, influence and shape consumers’ ethical choices, going beyond individual factors such as values and attitudes. Paper 2 underscores how the existing body of literature on ethical consumption has often neglected the importance of a “culture of care” and reduction of consumption as components of ethical consumption. In this paper, we classified ethical consumption into three temporal categories which we labelled pre-consumption, consumption and post-consumption. Pre-consumption refers to consumers’ demands, planning and decisions about what to consume and how much. Consumption refers to purchasing and using, and includes practices such as repairing, slow consumption, and extending the life span of goods. Post-consumption refers to different ways of passing on, sharing, disposing of an item, and minimizing waste. This categorization can be used as a guide to better understand concerns and practices related to ethics, care and sufficiency at different stages. In papers 3 and 4 we have implemented our proposed theoretical framework to investigate how structural factors shape ethical consumption, using data from Sweden and Iran. Through this analysis, we argue why conventional versions of “ethical consumption” are more likely to emerge in some parts of the world than in others while at the same time providing constraints on specific forms of ethical consumption. We have demonstrated that ethical consumption is perceived and practised within the boundaries set by a particular society.
Anticipated impacts: (a) by shedding light on the pivotal role of multi-level dynamics in the formation of ethical consumption we have argued for the importance of considering societal factors in shaping or constraining ethical consumption in everyday life. It is hoped that this emphasis will cultivate a deeper understanding of the crucial prerequisites for orchestrating and expanding ethical considerations across diverse sectors (such as food, clothing, and energy) and in various countries worldwide. (b) By conceptualizing ethical consumption in terms of three distinct stages and considering it through the lenses of sufficiency and care, we have the opportunity to deepen our understanding of the transformative capacity of ethical consumption. (c) As a result, our findings on various facets of the perceptions and practices of ethical consumption in different social contexts will pave the way for further research directions as well as practical opportunities.
First, we have proposed a theoretical framework (paper 1) and further theoretical elaboration around the concepts of sufficiency and care, as well as a temporal perspective on ethical consumption (paper 2) that aims to improve our understanding of ethical consumption in terms of both theory and practice, and that is applicable to very different societies (papers 3 & 4). Paper 1 is devoted to integrating Social Practice Theory and the Multi-Level Perspective to explore how broader socio-technical systems, including regulations, markets, norms, and culture, influence and shape consumers’ ethical choices, going beyond individual factors such as values and attitudes. Paper 2 underscores how the existing body of literature on ethical consumption has often neglected the importance of a “culture of care” and reduction of consumption as components of ethical consumption. In this paper, we classified ethical consumption into three temporal categories which we labelled pre-consumption, consumption and post-consumption. Pre-consumption refers to consumers’ demands, planning and decisions about what to consume and how much. Consumption refers to purchasing and using, and includes practices such as repairing, slow consumption, and extending the life span of goods. Post-consumption refers to different ways of passing on, sharing, disposing of an item, and minimizing waste. This categorization can be used as a guide to better understand concerns and practices related to ethics, care and sufficiency at different stages. In papers 3 and 4 we have implemented our proposed theoretical framework to investigate how structural factors shape ethical consumption, using data from Sweden and Iran. Through this analysis, we argue why conventional versions of “ethical consumption” are more likely to emerge in some parts of the world than in others while at the same time providing constraints on specific forms of ethical consumption. We have demonstrated that ethical consumption is perceived and practised within the boundaries set by a particular society.
Anticipated impacts: (a) by shedding light on the pivotal role of multi-level dynamics in the formation of ethical consumption we have argued for the importance of considering societal factors in shaping or constraining ethical consumption in everyday life. It is hoped that this emphasis will cultivate a deeper understanding of the crucial prerequisites for orchestrating and expanding ethical considerations across diverse sectors (such as food, clothing, and energy) and in various countries worldwide. (b) By conceptualizing ethical consumption in terms of three distinct stages and considering it through the lenses of sufficiency and care, we have the opportunity to deepen our understanding of the transformative capacity of ethical consumption. (c) As a result, our findings on various facets of the perceptions and practices of ethical consumption in different social contexts will pave the way for further research directions as well as practical opportunities.