Bangalore: Ethical Consumerism is a relatively new phenomenon in India but do Indians really embrace it? Ethical Consumerism should not be confused with avoiding shop-lifting, though the latter is a social evil, which needs to be curbed. As the society is moving ahead as an integrated unit, it needs to pay equal attention to all its sub-units if it wants complete and over-all growth. So, thinking about the business alone is an entity of the past. Thinking about people, the society and the ecology is the wave of the present and the future.

Ethical Consumerism is an integral part of Western countries because they feel it is their duty to serve the society and Mother Earth. Green movements and working for the welfare of the society has been a part of Western cultures for ages now. The U.S. and the U.K. are among the leading Western nations which believe in Ethical Consumerism whole-heartedly. It is very evident in their work culture and retail sector. Adhering to norms and standards is never by-passed in these countries as the retail laws there are very strict. Japan is one notable Asian country, which meticulously follows Ethical Consumerism. Various Japanese organizations are completely eco-oriented, right from procuring materials to delivering finished products to the consumers. Honda and Toyota are the best examples of such organizations. What is more surprising is that Japan follows Ethical Consumerism very precisely even after going through a number of natural disasters.

India, however, is a bit behind in the area of Ethical Consumerism. One is not saying that India is not social welfare driven. In fact, India is very much into charity and helping the misfortunate and has a detailed history of it. Still, this trend is evident more in individuals and NGOs these days than big corporations. Very few Indian companies are into complete Ethical Consumerism. Though, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a so-called mandatory feature of new age Indian firms, very few of them actually believe in it. Retail firms, especially, should adhere to Ethical Consumerism as they deliver finished goods directly to consumers. Their interaction with the consumers is more and so they tend to influence customers more than other agencies. Despite this advantage over other partners of the delivery chain, retailers do not use this power properly.