SHOPPING - THE SOCIAL WAY

Social enterprises and social entrepreneurship are the newest ways of doing business.

A social enterprise is an organization where the business uses their commercial strategies to attain more than just profits and to maximize environmental well-being.

Many social enterprises adopt a model where they focus on creating jobs for specific communities, help spread awareness about carbon footprints and try to reduce it, empowering people by teaching them special skills to build better lives for themselves. It is a more holistic way of doing business where the business focuses on 3 P’s – Planet, People and Profit.

Nowadays young generation is as concerned with making a positive impact on the world as they are with making money. An enormous 94% people want to use their skills to benefit a cause.

On the same grounds, Green the map is a social enterprise that has been designed by an NGO, Swechha with an aim of solving the problem of urban waste, urban poverty and citizen apathy towards the environment. The program over the years has turned out to be the ‘upcycling’ voice of India and is engaged in creating livelihood for thousands of migrant workers and women from different parts of the country, and in the process saving the environment by managing some of our urban waste.

Consumer behavior is useful to distinguish the outcome of a business. It teaches companies of all sizes about the consumption patterns of their consumers. It reflects the totality of consumer’s decision with respect to the purchase, consumption of goods and services, time and ideas over time.

Talking about consumer behavior towards social enterprise products

There are three types of consumers

• Ethical consumer
• Ecological consumer
• Rational consumer

Ethical consumers make purchase decision based on ethical judgments. For example, products made or distributed fairly and/or by autistic, poor, minority or ethnic group, and disadvantaged women would influence ethical consumer to purchase product.

Ecological consumers make purchase decision based on environmental performances of the product, such as organic food, recyclable product, renewable energy‐related product, etc. that are less harmful for the environment as well as for human beings.

Rational consumers make purchase decision based on exchange value/utility. Most of the traditional buying decisions are based on utility (product quality, performance, perceived benefit, etc.).

These consumers will not only respond to fair trade products but also expect their products would not harm the environment. In addition, stimulation in terms of price, perceived benefit and convenience will also transform some rational consumers to be social enterprise consumers.

We at Green the Map, encourage the new way of shopping. Happy shopping!