What does ‘being ethical’ mean?

Mister Gotcha, Matt Bors, 2016.

Being ethical, or trying to do the right thing, has been a philosophical concern of humans for millennia. Most of us want to do what’s right. This involves making choices that do not cause harm or suffering to oneself or others. However in today’s consumer world, as the above cartoon shows, it can be hard not to feel like a hypocrite. No one wants their purchases to contribute to unfair labor practices, or environmental degradation, but we all have to participate in society, and that involves buying products from corporations. Even with the best intentions, it is difficult, and in many cases impossible, to avoid allowing some of your consumer dollars to flow to companies who have practices you disagree with. Rather than hypocrisy, this is just a fact of modern life and the options we are given.

Yet, we still have a remarkable amount of consumer choice, and there is a difference in the way some companies are doing business. For example, companies like Costco have committed to paying their employees fair wages, while others like Best Buy are pledged to support sustainability through reducing waste (Moore, 2021). It makes sense for people who have the choice to support businesses like these with their consumer dollars. This is how the power of the consumer is exercised in our market system.

Problem is, it can be hard to bring our ethical choices into the supermarket. We have the illusion of almost infinite choices, but in reality, most of the incredible array of brands are now owned by a few giant mega-corporations. And where choices do exist, there is little in the packaging to indicate how ethically a product was sourced, let alone the company’s stance on the environment and human rights. How can we be ethical with our consumer dollars if we don’t know the whole story?

The essence of “being ethical” is making the best choice you can with the information you have. That is why at Ethica, our goal is to provide a new lens through which to view our consumer choices. We are promoting informed consumption, by providing a seamless way to quickly learn how companies and products stack up in important areas like sustainability and fair treatment of workers. Information like this will allow users to exercise their power as consumers to support ethical business practices.

In addition to bringing us products we can feel good about buying and using, informed consumption can influence companies to make better choices, too. As ‘buying ethical’ becomes more important to consumers, companies will have little choice but to get on board before it affects their bottom line. By revealing what lies behind the brands, Ethica ensures that companies put ethical practices front and center. This has the power to change business for good, just when we need it most.

Being ethical has never been the easy way out, which is why humans so often miss the mark. But with Ethica, we are making some of these choices a little easier, in ways that make a real difference. And for us, that is what being ethical is all about.