Blog post #8
Problems with ethical labels: Despite their perceived utility, ethical labels often belie two fundamental issues: the lack of consumer understanding, and an unreliable system of criteria. While these labels are intended to guide ethical purchasing decisions, and non-ethical labeling typically endeavors to assist consumers in making informed decisions, a majority of consumers possess only an introductory and incomplete amount of knowledge of the meanings and implications of most ethical labels.
For example, the students interviewed for this project mentioned being mostly unfamiliar with terms associated with food sustainability – such as greenwashing and ethical labels – and also affirmed that they had almost no prior knowledge as to what ‘ethical labels’ aimed to achieve and had even less knowledge on what many ethical labels meant.
Furthermore, as previously noted, the dependability of ethical labels is under scrutiny, particularly those that rely on governmental oversight. Although labels managed by nonprofits are generally exempt from issues regarding political pressure and are thus more trustworthy, government labels are susceptible to inconsistency and unreliability due to potential political influence from businesses. For this reason, the application of ethical labels may vary widely and lack standardized criteria, further complicating their reliability and effectiveness in guiding consumer choices outside of consumer ignorance.
Notwithstanding the previously identified issues associated with ethical labels, for the sake of operational consistency, this project opted to utilize the most prevalent ethical labels. Considering the illiteracy and unfamiliarity regarding ethical labels in their present state, the labels were chosen based on widespread use ensuring a standardized measurement.