Consumer Power and Corporate Responsibility

Goal Twelve of the United Nation’s seventeen goals for Sustainable Development is to Ensure Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns. These seventeen goals are designed to plan, and “Transform Our World.”

While weaving sustainability into an economy is a significant part of a developing nation’s infrastructure because it provides potential long term economic opportunities to generate an overall higher quality of life. This happens through the responsible management and consumption of environmental resources. The goal laid out by the United Nations explains the significance of an effective sustainable economy that is able to direct consumers on the use of the often unmeasurable Natural Capital systems and the benefits of those features in their geographic location. Examples of such significant benefits include, the rainforest, swamps, and other systems that provide anthropocentric benefits. To protect our delicate ecosystems and majestic outdoor recreation areas, the United States instituted the National Park program. This was an attempt to allow every citizen to equally enjoy the serenity of certain protected lands. It is not a single entity’s responsibility to escape the tragedy of the common’s system trap of National Parks, but rather the entire country’s. 

As stated by the UN, “It also requires a systemic approach and cooperation among actors operating in the supply chain, from producer to final consumer. It involves engaging consumers through awareness-raising and education on sustainable consumption and lifestyles, providing consumers with adequate information through standards and labels and engaging in sustainable public procurement, among others.” (United Nations 2017) As a consumer the responsibility we have is to purchase quality instead of quantity as well as examine the ethical sourcing chain that we buy in to, properly dispose of products, and demand the same standards from the “firms” we frequently purchase from.

The most intensive part of this plan will be for the manufacturers who need to retrofit their current infrastructures to newer more efficient methods. The companies that are able to quickly adapt and advertise using current “dominant social paradigms” generate additional income over those who fail to move towards or appear to move towards sustainability. Failing to meet a consumer’s needs can result in companies tapering off in their sales, and decrease active engagement in the company’s message. Think about the decline of Sears, consumers could no longer relate to the brand identity. Communities are encouraged to form a relationship around a brand’s identity which can be formed around a company’s corporate message for shoppers. Companies like LuluLemon, Eddie Bauer, Whole Foods, Amazon, HBO, Netflix and Patagonia have explored how powerful a brand with a reputation and cult like following can impact powerful changes. For example the community of Patagonia consumers, of which this author is happily a part of, is currently acting as a part of a global action following sustainability encouraging Patagonia to continue their legal actions against the current President of the United States. 

Their legal action therefore embodies the United Nations’ twelfth goal of dedicated outdoor activists supporting an ethical and mostly sustainable global company for environmental values.  Through an economic lens, consumer purchasing patterns emerged: specific outdoor activities, in nature, in support of the admiration of the outdoors, and protection around it, Patagonia has created a community that values high quality products, ethical sourcing, long term use, and a warranty that cannot be beat.  The company demonstrates its value to the community by representing the community’s public values. In their first term legal actions against the Trump administration, Patagonia aims to protect National Parks from being reduced in size, which clearly demonstrates their intention and respect for the environment and the values of their consumers. On their website “The President Stole Your Land. In an illegal move, the president just reduced the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. This is the largest elimination of protected land in American history.”(Patagonia 2017)  Their economic priority is to consumers and the unspoken demand and desire for National Park protection. Or we can surmise that by posting it on their website in large white font on a black screen, to shock and spread awareness on their website, rather than sell products. Coincidentally, National Parks are where Patagonia’s products are primarily used or can be used, since they are a public space included in your rights as a citizen to use. So Patagonia has a variety of perspectives, reasons,  and benefits from advertising and promoting their public opinion and calling for action on issues they* care about because their economic security from responsible consumption and production in their core values.  

Consumers tend to positively respond to a company’s vocal public actions with economic support in an attempt to further continue and sustain the action through positive feedback in the system. The goal from the UN describes the consumer impact and significance; “it involves engaging consumers through awareness-raising and education on sustainable consumption and lifestyles, providing consumers with adequate information through standards and labels and engaging in sustainable public procurement, among others.” (United Nations 2017.) If the average consumer strives to follow the UN’s guide, which targets to “develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products.” (United Nations 2017.) 

Rarely are consumers given all options, at all stores and locations, to ask the questions or find the information required to make an informed purchase, is it our responsibility or the companies? How can we find a way to push companies to quickly and efficiently examine their production patterns? Which in an ideal world, could provide a symbiotic relationship system for consumers and firms to mutually gain from product life cycle analysis. Is it perhaps better, in developing world nations? Their consumer choices and infrastructure can leap frog quickly over large slow catastrophic mistakes and stubbornness to retrofit like the existing developed nations, rather than making the easy biomimetic harmonious connections quickly and far more efficiently. As stated by the UN “net welfare gains from economic activities by reducing resource use, degradation and pollution along the whole lifecycle, while increasing quality of life.” (United Nations 2017)

To increase our global quality of life through the UN’s sustainable goals to “transform our world” comes from choices that consumers make with their finances for specific brands and products can influence their power to persuade and alter a large companies and the companies that are prominent in social matters. Patagonia acknowledged a community through an economic appreciation of who their customer is, by what products they buy, how often consumers recommend them and the environmental conscientiousness to be active and outdoors, often. Final thought; Corporate social responsibility is good, corporate social action is even better. :)

Works Cited: 

Patagonia. “The President Stole Your Land.” Patagonia Outdoor Clothing & Gear, Patagonia, 5 Dec. 2017, www.patagonia.com/home/.

United Nations. “Sustainable consumption and production.” United Nations, United Nations, 1 Jan. 2017, www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-consumption-production/.