Spring is in the air and the world has never looked greener. Farmers’ markets are mushrooming, organic product ranges are increasing their share of supermarket shelf space and the market is awash with green gimmicks, from carbon-neutral car insurance to low-carbon customer reward cards. And companies are clamouring to broadcast their progress on going carbon neutral.

But will a predicted economic downturn cast a shadow over the current trend towards ethical goods, services and business practices? Bleaker forecasts from economists suggest that the unravelling housing market in the US coupled with persistently high energy prices may well lead to a global recession – or at least a slowdown.

As anticipated food price inflation takes hold, will shoppers hang up their ideals, bypass the organic produce and reach for its conventional counterpart instead? Or will ethical choices prove to have a motivation that goes deeper than price?

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