Embracing ethical fields: constructing consumption in the margins

Purpose Literature examining resistant consumer behaviour from an ethical consumption stance has increased over recent years. This paper argues that the conflation between ethical consumer behaviour and ‘anti-consumption’ practices results in a nihilistic reading and fails to uncover the tensions of those who seek to position themselves as ethical whilst still participating in the general market. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts an exploratory approach through semi-structured in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of 7 ethical consumers. Findings The analysis reveals the process through which ethical consumption is constructed and defined in relation to the subject position of the ‘ethical consumer’ and their interactions with the dominant market of consumption. Research limitations/implications This research is limited to a single country and location and focused on a specific consumer group. Expansion of the research to a wider group would be valuable. Practical implications The impact of ethical consumption on the wider field of consumption can be witnessed in the ‘mainstreaming’ of many ethical ideals. This highlights the potential movements of power between various stakeholders that occupy particular spaces of social action. Originality/value Understanding the analysis through Bourdieu’s concepts of field and the margins created between spaces of consumption we focus on the theoretical cross-section of practice between ethical and market-driven forms of consumption, advancing discussion by exploring how self-identified ‘ethical consumers’ defined, legitimatised and negotiated their practices in relation to consumption acts and lifestyles. Keywords Anti-consumption, ethical consumption, consumer decision-making, Bourdieu

The work of community gardens: reclaiming place for community in the city

The growth of community gardens has become the source of much academic debate regarding their role in community empowerment in the contemporary city. In this article, we focus upon the work being done in community gardens, using gardening in Glasgow as a case study. We argue that while community gardening cannot be divorced from more regressive underlying economic and social processes accompanying neoliberal austerity policies, it does provide space for important forms of work that address social needs and advance community empowerment. In developing this argument we use recent geographical scholarship concerning the generative role of place in bringing together individuals and communities in new collective forms of working. Community gardens are places that facilitate the recovery of individual agency, construction of new forms of knowledge and participation, and renewal of reflexive and proactive communities that provide broader lessons for building more progressive forms of work in cities

Save Your Wardrobe: Digitalising Sustainable Clothing Consumption

This preliminary research examines the role of digitalisation in changing how consumers respond to, manage and maintain more sustainable approaches to clothing. It brings together the mission and vision of Save Your Wardrobe, with expert consumer researchers from University of Glasgow. Using a qualitative approach (in-depth consumer interviews and wardrobe audits) we explore existing clothing behaviours and how the Save Your Wardrobe (SYW) application (app) could be used as a digital wardrobe management solution

Save Your Wardrobe: Digitalising Sustainable Clothing Consumption

This preliminary research examines the role of digitalisation in changing how consumers respond to, manage and maintain more sustainable approaches to clothing. It brings together the mission and vision of Save Your Wardrobe, with expert consumer researchers from University of Glasgow. Using a qualitative approach (in-depth consumer interviews and wardrobe audits) we explore existing clothing behaviours and how the Save Your Wardrobe (SYW) application (app) could be used as a digital wardrobe management solution

Sustainable consumption and third-party certified labels: consumers' perceptions and reactions

Compared with conventional products, sustainable products continue to attract relatively lower market shares. To increase customer acceptance, many sustainable products feature third-party certified labels (TPCL), yet it is unclear whether TPCL are effective and what processes and boundary conditions define their role in consumer decision making. Across three experimental studies, this research determines that sustainable products are characterized by credence qualities, associated with increased perceptions of risk, which negatively influence consumers’ purchase intentions. Drawing on signaling theory, this study also shows that TPCL on sustainable products provide brand-like information cues that reduce the perceived risk of sustainable products. Finally, a third experimental study demonstrates that consumers must perceive TPCL as credible for them to reduce consumers’ risk perceptions

From 'I' to 'We': Changing the Narrative in Scotland's Relationship With Consumption

No abstract available

A policy agenda for changing our relationship with consumption

In this Government Initiatives contribution, we present policy recommendations made available to the Scottish Government on how to change Scottish consumers’ relationships with material goods and so contribute to its greenhouse gas emissions targets. Rather than focusing on the individual actions of consumers, we discuss how the underlying neoliberal political narrative must be addressed as it creates the conditions in which invidious materialism can occur. We then propose an alternative conceptualization of marketing that would harness marketing tools and concepts to help build connections between people and stimulate demand for pro-environmental, prosocial, consumption. This function stands in contrast to marketing acting in a way that contributes to the fragmentation of society and degradation of our planet. A series of controls on marketing are then outlined, which seek to facilitate changes to current dominant consumption narratives including using material input labelling as a mechanism to restrict unethical marketing practices. Overall, these ideas represent a more interventionist perspective, but one that we deem necessary when considered against the scale of the task now facing humanity in avoiding catastrophic climate change

Patients’ and health professionals’ views and experiences of atrial fibrillation and oral-anticoagulant therapy:a qualitative meta-synthesis

Objective - Atrial fibrillation (AF) patients are prescribed oral-anticoagulant (OAC) therapy, often warfarin, to reduce stroke risk. We explored existing qualitative evidence about patients’ and health professionals’ experiences of OAC therapy. Methods - Systematic searches of eight bibliographic databases were conducted. Quality was appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool and data from ten studies were synthesised qualitatively. Results - Four third-order constructs, emerged from the final step in the analysis process: (1) diagnosing AF and the communication of information, (2) deciding on OAC therapy, (3) challenges revolving around patient issues, and (4) healthcare challenges. Synthesis uncovered perspectives that could not be achieved through individual studies. Conclusion - Physicians’ and patients’ experiences present a dichotomy of opinion on decision-making, which requires further exploration and changes in practice. Outcomes of workload pressure on both health professionals and patients should be investigated. The need for on-going support and education to patients and physicians is critical to achieve best practice and treatment adherence. Practice implications - Such research could encourage health professionals to understand and attend better to the needs and concerns of the patient. Additionally these findings can be used to inform researchers and healthcare providers in developing educational interventions with both patients and health professionals

Save Your Wardrobe: Digitalising Sustainable Consumption: Further Insights

This research extends and builds on our earlier report – Digitalising Sustainable Consumption (2019) – and examines the role of digitalisation in changing how consumers manage their wardrobe and clothing and shift towards more sustainable approaches

‘Digitising’ your wardrobe can help you save money and make sustainable fashion choices

No abstract available