Title: The moral responsibility of consumers as citizens

Authors: Ulf Schrader

Addresses: Institut fur Marketing und Management, Leibniz Universitat Hannover, Konigsworther Platz 1, 30167 Hannover, Germany

Abstract: The paper addresses the extent of, and preconditions for, consumers| moral responsibility for sustainable consumption. Starting from the concept of consumer citizenship it is argued that full citizenship includes both rights and duties. The established set of Kennedy|s consumer rights is used as a basis for deriving corresponding consumer duties, which foster sustainable development. It will be shown that an extension of the traditional rights is a precondition for the execution of these duties: to be informed, to choose consciously and to make oneself heard. The paper ends with the conclusion that the extent of consumers| responsibility depends on the extent of consumers| rights. Thus, proponents of a higher degree of consumers| responsibility are called to work for the necessary provision of consumer rights.

Keywords: consumer citizenship; consumer rights; consumer duties; sustainable development; sustainability; corporate social responsibility; CSR; exit and voice; moral responsibility; sustainable consumption.

DOI: 10.1504/IJISD.2007.016059

International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development, 2007 Vol.2 No.1, pp.79 - 96

Published online: 03 Dec 2007 *

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