An empirical study identifying Fair Trade consumer attributes of compassion and sustainability awareness

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.13169/jfairtrade.3.1.0032
• Pages: 32-43
• Published date: 01 September 2021
• Date: 01 September 2021
• Author: Shireen Musa,Pradeep Gopalakrishna
• Subject Matter: Compassion,consumer motivation,corporate social responsibility (CSR),Fair Trade,fashion,sustainability,COOE scale,DSA scale

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An empirical study identifying Fair Trade consumer attributes of

compassion and sustainability awareness

Shireen Musa and Pradeep Gopalakrishna

Shireen Musa is an Assistant Professor in the Department of International Trade and Marketing at the

Fashion Institute of Technology – SUNY. Her research is focused on compassion, mindfulness and Fair

Trade consumer behaviour. She enjoys educating her students on various aspects of Fair Trade, while

teaching global sourcing, global marketing and international marketing research. She has spoken about

sustainability and Fair Trade at both academic and business conferences and has organized sustainability

and Fair Trade events on campus. She is also a member of the Chicago Fair Trade organisation.

Pradeep Gopalakrishna is a Professor and Chair of the Marketing Department at Pace University. His

current research is focused on marketing and sustainability. He has published over 25 conceptual,

empirical and case-study journal articles related to various aspects of marketing. He is also a member of

the American Marketing Association.

Abstract

While growing awareness, concern and expectation among stakeholders for companies to

implement Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policies exists, the fashion industry’s global

supply chains and product lifecycles are unsustainable. Fair Trade apparel bridges that gap.

The Fair Trade and CSR literature supports the idea that fair trade consumers should possess

the attributes of (a) compassion for oneself, others and the environment (COOE) and

(b) desire for sustainability awareness (DSA). In this study, we contribute to the literature

by developing two new scales to measure these unique qualities. Online surveys were

distributed to 1,197 individuals and 258 respondents make up the sample. An Exploratory

Factor Analysis, using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with Varimax Rotation was

administered on all items, which made up both scales to determine discriminant validity.

Scholars and practitioners can use both new scales to holistically analyse and identify the

attributes that motivate consumers to purchase Fair Trade apparel.

Keywords: Compassion; consumer motivation; corporate social responsibility (CSR); Fair

Trade; fashion; sustainability; COOE scale; DSA scale

Introduction

Due to the growth of environmental and societal concerns over the past decades resulting from increased

pollution, poverty, extreme climate, and global social inequality, sustainable concepts and practices, such as

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Fair Trade have emerged (Kozlowski, Bardecki & Searcy, 2012).

Moreover, advancements in technology have facilitated quick widespread diffusion of these environmental and

societal concerns to the masses, resulting in the growing need for companies to implement CSR practices, such

as Fair Trade (Antonetti & Maklan, 2014).

Sheth, Sethia and Srinivas (2011) develop the notion of mindful consumption, which is ‘premised on a

consumer mindset of caring for self, for community, and for nature, that translates behaviorally into tempering

the self-defeating excesses associated with acquisitive, repetitive and aspirational consumption’ (p. 21).