Consumer Activism

History of Consumer Activism

Consumer activism has had a long, colorful, and cosmopolitan history, particularly within the context of boycotts, which enable much of the activism rhetoric to evolve into action. Among others, its roots can be traced back to Irish peasants in the 1880s, 18th-century America, and Gandhi's 20th-century India. The cooperative movement was the first organized consumer movement; it started as a working-class protest against highly priced, poor-quality goods, particularly food, supplied by commercial monopolies seeking to exploit their labor force. The premise of this movement was “self-help by the people,” in which businesses and consumers cooperated together for mutual benefit without manipulation. This movement was so successful that cooperatives were set up all over the world; it is probably the only time in history when consumers were in charge of the goods available to them. Yet, over time, the power of cooperatives declined as markets became less threatening and competition facilitated choice of shopping outlets. Contemporary society is a major challenge for the cooperative movement, as the notion of consumerism, which so characterizes modern-day consumption, whether actual or aspirational, is somewhat of an anathema to it. Yet its underlying principles of fairness suggest that it will have a role to play in the future in supporting consumer activists who are pursuing environmental, human, and social capital through their own consumption choices and their influence on the consumption choices of others. Indeed, we can see its influence within the political consumerism movement, particularly in relation to Fair Trade.

Following in the footsteps of the cooperative movement, the value-for-money consumerist movement has been hugely influential in shaping modern-day consumer activism. Originating from the United States in the late 1800s, the explosion of consumerism in 1920s America caused activists to become concerned about the exploitative power of capitalism. As a result, organizations were formed to test products to increase consumer knowledge so that they could take advantage of the market. This is the foundation of consumer associations; for example, the Consumers Union in America, the U.K. Consumer Association and their well-known publication Which?, the Konsumenten Bond in the Netherlands, and the Test Achats in Belgium. In all cases, the aim of these organizations is not to change society but, rather, to make the market more efficient, to educate consumers, and to ensure that they get the very best products and services at the very best prices. From a sustainability perspective, this movement has created problems. It has never encouraged individuals to think about the consequences of consumption, essentially because it has encouraged consumer sovereignty—consumption rights without responsibility.

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