Ethical consumption was first introduced in the 18th century by abolitionists that refused to buy sugar from slave plantations, and gained momentum in the early 20th century as marginalized groups such as women, immigrants and Black people organized boycotts for social impact. Ethical consumption has always combined individual choice with collective communication and collaboration.

The ethical consumption movement has never blossomed to nearly its full potential, but that is now possible with new generations of consumers, new social attitudes about changemaking and new technologies for sharing information.

Too many well-meaning thought leaders and practitioners today are focused only on the supply side - ethical production - which is important but ultimately shaped by consumer behavior. The urgency of climate change, biodiversity and other environmental crises are leading changemakers in all sectors to increasingly challenge the Global North's culture of rampant hyper-consumption, mythology of eternal economic growth and obsession with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as the best measure of social wellbeing. As a society we need to explore the enormous leverage in the other side of the economic equation: ethical consumption.