The principle that all parties in economic exchange—workers, producers, consumers, and ecosystems—possess rights that must be respected.
Sor Juana wrote powerfully about rights—not as privileges granted by authorities but as fundamental to human dignity. Ethical consumption requires centering this rights-based framework. Workers have rights to fair compensation, safe conditions, and respect for their labor. Producers have rights to keep their knowledge and cultural practices intact. Communities have rights to protect their environments and futures. Ecosystems have intrinsic value and integrity deserving protection. Consumers have rights to truthful information and safe products. A truly ethical transaction honors all these rights simultaneously rather than trading some rights against others. When supply chains exploit workers to provide cheap products for consumers, they violate workers' rights for consumers' price preferences. Ethical consumption refuses such trade-offs. It asks: Can we meet consumer needs while respecting all parties' rights? This concept builds ethical consumption on solid philosophical ground: not on individual virtue or aesthetic preferences, but on recognition that all participants deserve dignity and rights. This alignment with Sor Juana's intellectual commitment to justice makes consumption an expression of values rather than compromise with injustice.
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