Uncommon Goods strives to ensure its products are produced ethically as an independent online marketplace for creatives. Furthermore, the company collaborates with artists around the world to craft unique one-of-a kind items you won’t find elsewhere.
The company’s mission for ethical consumerism is straightforward: to create a better world through their products. Their Better to Give program donates part of each order to nonprofit organizations around the world.
Ethical Consumerism
Consumers who care about the world around them desire to buy from companies that produce quality products, treat their employees well and minimize their environmental impact. This type of consumer trend has become known as ethical consumerism and it has become a major influence on customer behavior.
Studies have sought to uncover the rationales that motivate consumers’ ethical behavior. Theories such as reasoned action (Ajzen and Fishbein 1980; Ajzen 1991) and planned behavior (Ajzen 1991) have been explored in detail. Researchers also attempted segmenting ethical consumers based on geography, demographic, cultural, psychographic and psychological variables; however there remains limited evidence base for segmentation as an effective tool in explaining ethical consumer behavior (Rettie et al. 2012).
The problem with much ethical consumer research is that it focuses on individualistic behavior without taking into account the emotional and symbolic drivers behind such choices. This is especially true in the realm of fine jewellery, where consumers use their purchases as a platform to express their values and beliefs.
Practice theories have emerged as a more relevant theoretical lens that takes into account the social and material environment in which practices take place. These theories challenge the traditional dualism between individual and society, contending that consumer action is embedded within culture and bound up with accepted norms (Warde 2014).
This approach has the advantage of focusing on the social environment and its influence over consumer choice, rather than solely on rationality of behavior. As such, it can help bridge the gap between consumers’ attitudes and their actions, which has been identified as a critical issue in ethical consumption (Shove & Walker 2010; Janssen et al. 2014).
Moreover, this approach has identified four factors that influence ethical consumption attitudes: prioritising ethical issues, habits, readiness to commit and types of purchasing behavior. When applied to fine jewellery purchases, this analysis has demonstrated how consumers’ behavioural intentions are shaped by their attitudes towards ethical matters and subjective perceptions of norms (Hines et al. 2011).
Furthermore, research into ethical consumer behaviour has been limited due to a lack of empirical research that can explain how ethical concerns influence purchase decisions. This lack of data is especially prevalent for luxury consumption where few studies examine the causes and consequences of ethical concerns.
Empowering Local Economies
Consumerism, defined as the tendency to purchase products based on one’s individual desires and needs, is at the root of much of Earth’s environmental degradation. This is because consumers use a substantial amount of energy, resources, and materials to create their items.
Uncommon Goods is a B Corp and socially conscious independent company that has built its business around empowering local economies, workforce development, and sustainable consumption. That is why Dave and his team are so dedicated to upholding their mission and values.
One way they achieve this is by investing in employee education programs. They hire a number of teachers and community leaders who serve as mentors, counselors, and coaches for their students to assist them with reaching their objectives while developing leadership qualities. With these staff members onboard, the company is able to ensure all employees feel supported throughout the learning process.
Uncommon Goods empowers employees by giving them meaningful work they enjoy. This gives employees a sense of being part of something bigger than themselves, which can have an impact on both their personal lives and careers.
Therefore, they become more motivated to complete their tasks and remain consistent over a longer period of time. Furthermore, this helps them hone skills, become better at their jobs, and increase the odds of obtaining another job in the future.
Dave and his team are passionate about creating an environment in which employees are supported to grow and learn. To do this, they pay their seasonal workers a minimum wage and offer them stock options that can be traded after four years.
Uncommon Goods actively approaches environmental sustainability by using recyclable packaging and shipping materials. They offer free shipping on orders over $80 and donate part of their profits to nonprofit organizations that help people break the cycle of poverty.
Promoting Human Rights
Uncommon Goods is an e-commerce retailer offering unique, ethically made gifts for all ages. As a B Corporation, they are dedicated to supporting independent artists and designers while also contributing to charitable causes aligned with their values and social beliefs. Dave Bolotsky founded the business with the purpose of connecting consumers to eco-friendly items that cause no harm to animals or the environment. Today Uncommon Goods has grown into an impressive e-commerce retailer with its own catalog business, B Corp membership, and impressive philanthropic program.
Uncommon Goods has long prioritized sustainability and fair trade practices, yet they also recognized the need to communicate their commitment internally. While creating a brand around these values was important, Uncommon Goods didn’t want to lose the authentic approachability customers had come to expect from them.
Therefore, they needed a loyalty platform that could integrate with their existing e-commerce capabilities and allow them to express their brand in an authentic and approachable way to customers. This necessitated finding a provider who could assist them in realizing this vision for their loyalty channel and provide ongoing support throughout the process.
Research into ethical consumption has typically focused on rational approaches to understanding how moral concerns influence consumer decision-making (Shaw et al. 2000, 2006; Ajzen and Fishbein 1980). While these approaches have been useful in identifying factors causing the attitude-behaviour gap in ethical consumption, they fall far short of truly understanding what motivates mainstream ethical consumption when applied to high involvement contexts such as fine jewellery purchases.
Unfortunately, rationalist approaches are inadequate for studying ethical consumption in high-involvement contexts such as fine jewellery purchasing. They cannot account for the emotional and symbolic drivers that motivate such behavior - those motivators that ‘lead consumers from a rational state of mind to habitual practice’ (Ajzen and Fishbein 1980).
Reducing Environmental Impact
Uncommon Goods is on a mission to promote ethical and sustainable living. Established in 1999, the company collaborates with artisans from around the globe to offer creatively designed high-quality products.
As part of its numerous commitments, the company strives to reduce its environmental footprint by supporting sustainable resource management and using energy-saving practices. Furthermore, it recycles materials while donating over $2.6 million to nonprofit partners and advocating for fair wages for its workers.
Uncommon Goods, a certified B Corporation, also practices an Impact Business Model that takes into account the effects of each purchase on community, environment and workers. This ensures they make decisions which have a beneficial effect on these groups while being open about the process.
Uncommon Goods strives to support their mission with environmentally friendly packaging and by supporting local farmers through its CCC program. This enables the company to salvage fruit that would otherwise go unused and employ parents as organic farmers in schools, homes, and other settings.
Working with Uncommon Goods can be an exciting prospect for sellers to get your products in front of a wider audience and attract new customers. But before you dive in headfirst, research to ensure the buyer’s approach fits well with what you already offer.
If you’re considering selling with Uncommon Goods, ensure your product photography and description are in order. Offer different items to buyers to gauge which ones they will like best.
The company’s sourcing team carefully selects products with sustainability in mind. They look for design originality and exclusivity, responsibly made materials, as well as eco-friendly packaging.
Additionally, they encourage their artisans to utilize sustainable materials and practice responsible business practices. Some of these initiatives include paying employees a living wage and offering health insurance.
Though many of these efforts are modest, they add up and can have a substantial effect. If you’re searching for one-of-a kind gifts that contribute to causes or local economies, these five online retailers should be on your list.
In Conclusion
Uncommon Goods is a company that has made a conscious effort to promote ethical and sustainable consumerism. They have achieved this through various initiatives such as empowering local economies, promoting human rights, reducing environmental impact, and offering unique and sustainable products. The company’s Better to Give program also donates part of each order to nonprofit organizations around the world. Overall, Uncommon Goods has shown that a company can be profitable while also promoting ethical and sustainable practices.
As consumers, it is important to support companies like Uncommon Goods that prioritize ethical and sustainable practices. By doing so, we can help create a better world and promote a more sustainable future. Uncommon Goods has set an example for other companies to follow, and we hope to see more businesses adopt similar practices in the future.
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