Yes, and I think it's important that we understand our individual and collective power by looking at past successful actions where consumers affected business practices to align with their values. Examples include anti-sweatshop, anti-pesticide and pro-organic movements, which in some cases lead to voluntary business codes of conduct or mandatory legislation. Whether we realize it or not, each time we decide to purchase a Canadian made T-shirt, natural pesticides, or organic eggs, we are saying 'no' to unlawful working conditions, chemicals in our environment, and factory farming, and that's having an impact on our economy. Very simply, it means a reduction in profit for companies that don't understand their customers' values and support outdated business practices. Ideally, consumer boycotts, or letter campaigns, or angry internet posts, will push companies to reevaluate their approach and innovate in order to better connect with their public. That can mean using their size and influence to spearhead industry change, like the Gap adopting a Sourcing Code that demands that all of its suppliers abide to certain labour standards and basic human rights. And we get to decide if the solution is acceptable to us.
Of course, we can and should take a more active role in the discussion about issues that matter to us; being an informed consumer is just one way we can partake. Understanding the reasons why we are buying something gives us control over our consumption, and knowing the issues means that we don't inadvertently condone something we don't agree with.
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