A study conducted by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) of the UK determined that ethical consumption is limited more by a lack of accessibility and availability than a lack of awareness. Researchers held 12 focus groups representing different socio-economic classes throughout the city of Bristol, and found that, across the spectrum, consumers were aware of ethical consumption options, such as Fair Trade and organic goods. However, the participants cited lack of access to shops and goods as the central reason for not buying ethically sourced products.

One conventional wisdom among those pushing an ethical consumption agenda is that consumption is simply a choice, and with the right information, consumers will choose more ethical products. And while there is certainly truth in this idea, the study shows that, in the UK at least, efforts to educate consumers about Fair Trade and organic options have been thoroughly successful. It also goes on to indicate that consumption choices are influenced by more than just the consumer’s knowledge of ethical choices. Many consumption choices are based on relationships rather than a consumer’s individual choice. People acting as parents or sports fans or caring friends make choices influenced greatly by those relationships. A large portion of consumption is done from within political or private institutions as the background to these activities over which individuals have little influence as consumers. From the Science Daily:

"In order to successfully encourage people to adopt ethical consumption
activities, it is important to call on their specific identities, as
for example a member of the local community or faith group, rather than
just targeting them as ‘faceless’ and ‘placeless’ consumers. The most
successful initiatives are those that find ways of making changes to
the practical routines of consumption. For example, by changing how and
what people buy and from where through establishing initiatives such as
Fairtrade networks or achieving the status of a Fairtrade town or city."

The study highlights the success of the Fair Trade Town movement as an example of an effort that effectively alters the economic infrastructure of towns and cities so that access to ethical products is improved and ethical consumption is mandated for municipal institutions. The organic movement could adopt this model to help bring more organic choices to consumers in towns and cities. And, in any case, we can all learn from this study that attention needs to be given to the vast amount of consumption that happens without the influence of individual consumer choice.