[Column] I thought about ethical consumption from a student's perspective.

In Yokohama, until January 31st, "Let's get started! We are holding an ethical consumption campaign in Yokohama. Prior to this campaign, we, the RCE Yokohama Youth League, delivered a live program on ethical consumption in September. This time, I will tell you what you talked about in the video delivered in an easy-to-understand manner.

At the RCE Yokohama Youth Federation, students who attend universities in Yokohama City gather and engage in various activities under the keyword "Yokohama LOVE". What kind of image do university students have about ethical consumption?

Ethical consumption refers to the selection and purchase of products that are environmentally and socially friendly. Even if you don't know the word ethical consumption itself, many people may experience consumption that applies to ethical consumption. Most of the youth federations did not know about the term ethical consumption, but all members had once purchased products with the certification mark.

On the other hand, there were many opinions that "inevitably choosing products based on price and design" when it comes to whether or not they regularly engage in consumer behavior. Therefore, we thought that the reason why ethical consumption is not so popular is that consumers have few opportunities to know the meaning of certification marks. As a solution to this, we will post a description of the certification mark at supermarkets so that they can learn about ethical consumption while shopping, and to hold a tour to go around shops in Yokohama to try ethical consumption. Was.

After streaming the video, I became more interested in ethical consumption, and my daily consumption behavior changed a little. For example, when you buy fish at supermarkets, you can choose and buy fish with MSC's "Sea Eco Label" or ASC label. In addition, when purchasing groceries in boxes, we are now checking for FSC certification, a mark that protects the forest.

I had a video streaming and "Let's get started! Through the "Ethical Consumption in Yokohama" campaign, I learned about the importance of ethical consumption and realized the joy and fulfillment of being able to easily contribute to society even in everyday life. What has changed in me is that when I found an unknown certification mark I didn't know, I started to look into the meaning of the mark. There are more certification marks than we think. Everyone said, "Let's start! Why don't you participate in the "Ethical Consumption in Yokohama" campaign and practice ethical consumption happily?

You can watch a video on the theme of "ethical consumption" of the RCE Yokohama Youth Federation.

• Links to Youtube (external site)
• Link to Facebook (external site)

January 2021 by RCE Yokohama Youth Federation