The Politics of Shopping

Last year, Britons spent more than £25bn on services and products that had sustainable, ethical, green, organic or responsible (Segor) attributes. It’s a market that’s growing… fast. People are choosing shopping as a means to demonstrate activism – to show what they want and what they care about.

Ordinary members of the public are getting more radical. The environment worries them. Human rights abuses make them angry. Traditionally, it’s governments who’ve had the power to really change things, but they feel politics and politicians are untrustworthy, boring and irrelevant.

Savvy consumers understand that today it’s commercial interests that shape their lives. They’re highly aware of the power of brands and corporations, and it’s no surprise that they increasingly feel they get more through their till receipt, say, than their ballot paper. Suddenly, there’s a new kind of politics – both personal and public.

“Shopping is now a major arena for mass public activism,” says Dr Gill Seyfang, of the Centre for Social and Economic Research. “Patterns of material consumption show it is far more than ‘provisioning’. They include retail therapy, self-esteem, self-validation, a political statement, an ethical choice, demonstration of loyalty to a group…”

The world is a small place and it’s becoming difficult for corporations to sweep their dodgy dealings under the carpet. Greenwash won’t wash any more – people are too media-aware and cynical. The simple fact is there’s a growing consumer base who are fed up with being pushed around and don’t want brand-owners spending their money in ways they aren’t happy about.

So as individuals, what can they do to make a difference? Vote for some baby-kissing idiot in a bad suit (who’s probably taking backhanders from the same corporations that are screwing their world)?

People have worked out there’s a more direct way to change things. They can buy products from companies who have the same values as they do. They can also boycott the bad guys. And they can tell their friends, family and colleagues to boycott them too.

The truth is, shopping isn’t how it used to be. If you’re a mainstream brand, you can’t bullsh*t the ethical consumer – they’ll hate you for it. In the same way, if you’re already a Segor brand, how do you entice increasingly radical and aware shoppers into your brave new world?