The rising tide of responsible consumption

Having spent at least part of my formative years in the 1980s, I remember being struck by one descriptor of this largely buoyant and aspirational period as a time of ‘conspicuous consumption’. Rising materialism and displays of wealth were very much in vogue for those who could afford to flaunt it. Fast forwarding to the 2020s, however, and things are very different. A strong early tip for a decade defining label must be ‘responsible consumption’. This has of course, many guises, including rising plant-based diets, reducing alcohol intakes and adopting more sustainable behaviours. All of these are being tracked within MCA’s Hot Topics consumer research programme.