1. The construction of the figure of the sustainable consumer Exploring the role of moral and political philosophies Ulrike Ehgartner Sustainable Consumption Institute, University of Manchester STS Conference Graz 2016 Monday, 9 th May, Hotel Weitzer

2. Outline Consumption and Sustainability Moral and political implications of sustainable consumption Theoretical position and methodology Empirical findings: the framing of the consumer in the context of sustainability

3. Sustainability and Consumption Sustainable Development (social, environmental, economic) Environmental justice Consumption and the creation of the self (see Giddens 1991, Beck 1988, Bauman 1986) ‘Consumer choice’ (see e.g. Slater 1997, Sassatelli 2007, Trentmann 2007) Sustainable (‘alternative’, ‘ethical’, ‘critical’, ‘radical’, ‘political’) consumption Responsibility: shift from producers to consumers ‘Consumer citizenship’

4. A socio-moral and political narrative of the sustainable consumer Assumption that people want or have to act responsibly when they do their shopping (consumer choice as a duty, consumer citizenship) Political participation through the marketplace (boycott, buycott) “Vote with your dollar” (classical market theory) Sustainable Consumption = ethical consumption = political consumption (e.g. Micheletti et al. 2003) The consumer as the sovereign individual (freedom) “a narrowly utilitarian conceptualization of ethical decision- making by consumers, companies and public organizations a like (Barnett et al. 2011: 17).”

5. Theoretical framing Sustainable consumption as a complex set of socially constructed discourses (CSR, NGOs, media etc.) The sustainable consumer as a “rhetorical figure” (Barnett et al. 2011: 19) Narratives (re-)produce cultural meanings and moral and political philosophies

6. Methodological framing Discourse Analysis (CDA:Fairclough): constructivist approach explores how texts contribute to the way social reality is perceived the discursive framing of “sustainable consumption” is conceptualized as part of the infrastructure that can limit and liberate the rhetoric space to discuss social and environmental issues. This method is exploring how subjectivity and associated relationships become organised in texts investigating the dynamics of emerging market subjectivity such as ‘ethical consumers’ or ‘consumer citizens’, while observing how these configure new relationships between consumer, product, society and the environment more broadly giving an insight on how the figure of the ‘ethical consumer’ is framed and on how and in which contexts sustainable or ethical awareness is negotiated allowing to understand the naturalized ways to evaluate good and ethical behavior as a construction within the discourse on good and ethical behavior (see Fitchett and Caruana 2015)

7. The discourse on sustainable consumption Sample A British magazine devoted to the grocery sector. Period between 1.1.2005 and 31.12.2015 15% of articles on sustainable/ethical food consumption (years: 2005, 2007, 2010, 2015) -Ideas of sustainability -Role of businesses -Role of consumers -Consumer-corporation relationship -Forms of knowledge

8. The narrative of the consumer Sustainability Buzzword Promising Trend Victim of the Recession „Must“ demand, growing market transparency, traceability, trust premium „Consumers have to be re-connected to their food“ „Consumers want the companies to do the worrying for them“ „Consumers want an emotional connection“ „Consumers want ethically sound products“

9. The narrative of the consumer: Competences Actions passive exert pressure (market) exert pressure (NGOs) exert pressure (Social Media) KnowledgeAttitudesSkills lowdo not care low ability to make the right choices incompletecare a lot Fair ability to make the right choices high take it for granted can not afford the right choices high, misinformed, confused concerned powerful in pushing the responsibility for choice on to corporations 2015 2005

10. Consumer power ‘passively ethical’ – shoppers (…) won’t compromise taste over ethics – and we can’t be too far away on price either (17 September 2005). (…) the real driver is not the retailer but the consumer. Consumers are asking retailers for less packaging and the retailers are then talking to the supply chain. (29 September 2007) (g)ood news travels fast, but bad news travels at web speed, warns Brand Forensics founder Jonathan Gabay. "Living in a web 2.0 age leaves brands wide open to public opinion, and if the groundswell is big enough, brands can be affected."(…) Nestlé has no plans to force Greenpeace to stop its campaign: "We think it's important to listen to the views of our stakeholders and consumers," a defiant spokeswoman has promised. (27 March 2010) With online searches and social media putting customers in the driving seat, (…) companies cannot afford to be anything less than open. (…) Millennials are driving the agenda for ethics and sustainability, and are more likely to voice their feelings via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. (22 August 2015)

11. Consumer attitudes 36% of UK consumers have never even thought about this issue. Low consumer awareness is of course a barrier to change. (17 September 2005) Consumers considering trying a new product are now more likely to take ethical factors into account than health or convenience, reveals a report into food and grocery trends (27 January 2007) "The UK consumer does care but, through the recession, they care about price and the product tasting right first and expect us to do the worrying for them." (10 July 2010) "Millennial consumers are more ethical, have more power - because they can use social media to criticize and question us - and less time, so they're looking for brands they can trust(…). Ask people today if they care about where their products come from, how they are made, and increasingly, they are interested. They are not just talking about it, they are acting on it." (5 September 2015)

12. References Bauman, Z. (1988): Freedom. Milton Keynes: Open University Press. Beck, Ulrich (1986): Risikogesellschaft – Auf dem Weg in eine andere Moderne (Risk Society) Fairclough, N (1995): Critical Discourse Analysis – The Critical Study of Language, Longman Group Limited. Fairclough, N. (1992) Discourse and Social Change. Cambridge: Polity Press. Fairclough, N. and Wodak, R. (1997) “Critical discourse analysis”. In van Dijk, (1997) pp. 258-84. Fitchett, J.; Caruana, R.(2015)., "Exploring the Role of Discourse in Marketing and Consumer Research", Journal of Consumer Behaviour Giddens, A., (1991). Modernity and Self-Identity: self and identity in the late modern age. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California. Micheletti, M., Andreas, F., & Dietlind, S. (2003): Politics, Products, and Markets. Exploring Political Consumerism Past and Present. Rutgers, NJ: Transaction Publisher Micheletti, M. (2003): Political virtue and shopping: Individuals, consumerism, and collective action. New York: Palgrave Macmillian. Sassatelli, R. (2007): Consumer culture: History, theory and politics (1st ed.). Los Angeles: SAGE Publications. Trentmann, F. (2007): Introduction: Citizenship and Consumption. In: Journal of Consumer Culture. Volume 7 Nr. 2 p. 147-158