Being a responsible consumer

Task

Being a responsible shopper means being informed about the social and environmental impact of the companies you shop with, choosing the best options, and taking action to demand change from some of the worst corporate actors. Thanks to some of these actions, some multinationals have become sensitive to criticisms and have implemented changes to improve their public image.

Now is your turn to carry out some research. With the results of the survey of your class' shopping habits, choose two brand names of the same product, make some research and prepare a report explaining their practices.
- Check you understand the meaning of these words before you go any further:

• brand 
• brand name 
• consumer 
• logo 
• marketing 
• ethical/unethical 
• eco friendly 
• exploit, exploitative 
• sweatshop 
• multinational 
• shareholder 

Search Tips:
You might be interested in trying the following links:

http://www.responsibleconsumer.net/

http://www.corpwatch.org (check FOOD and GARMENT INDUSTRY in particular)

http://www.greenamerica.org/programs/responsibleshopper/

http://www.globallabourrights.org/

http://www.goodguide.com/

http://www.playfair2012.org.uk/



You can also use a websearch engine to find out which brandnames have responded to criticisms about human rights, globalisation, ecological damage etc.

Write your results in a format like this one:
- Brandname 1
- Ok, no OK?
- Reasons
- Brandname 2
- Ok, no OK?
- Reasons 

Presentation

Prepare to make an oral presentation of your research,

Here are some useful expressions for your presentation:

• Here are my products. 
• These are the conclusions I reached. 
• I found/discovered that… 
• I was surprised/shocked/pleased/disappointed to discover that.. 
• Apparently… 
• According to…. 
• It seems that….. 
• On the other hand…. 
• Therefore…. 
• In conclusion… 
• I would recommend that… 
• I strongly believe that…. 
• I (don’t) think… 
• …people should … 
• .. you should 

TIP:

Remember - when you present your report - don’t just READ

Assessment
Your presentation will be assessed according to the following criteria:

• Content (4)
• Language (6): Fluency (1,5), Pronunciation (1,5) Accuracy (1,5) Vocabulary (1,5)

(Source: This activity is an adaptation of the following webquest: Who made my trainers? 

http://www.xtec.cat/cirel/02/webquests/index.html)