Informing ethical consumers

It is generally accepted that awareness of environmental and social issues is rising, driven by a growing volume of easily accessible information, in which the advent of the internet, and increased media engagement with the issues, have played an important role (Beck, 1999: 102; Langerak et al., 1998; Nicholls, 2002; Peattie, 1992; Thøgersen, 1999). Prior awareness of ethical issues in turn affects a consumer's response to product information: ‘The main mechanism for labels (or brands) to work is not to change or make up the mind of the consumer in a shop, but to confirm an earlier decision made outside the market place influenced by marketing, the media, and crucially, civil processes’ (Zadek et al., 1998a: 35).

But while studies ...