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Enterprises need to consider ethical decisions in their work environment because they can affect the long-term development of the company and the interests of its stakeholders. For instance，“Critics of consumerism argue that materialism and strong affiliations with status enhancing brands.” (Hume, et al., 2010, p. 387). Unethical behaviour can cause damage to the company's reputation and result in significant economic losses. The purpose of this article is to investigate the role of ethics in defining sustainable consumption. The ethical theory discussed in this article will be utilitarianism and egoism, and the relevant United Nations Sustainable Development Goal is Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. This assessment will analyse the relationship between consumption and ethical, factors influencing consumer choices, and their impact on businesses and society.

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The focus of this journal article is "Is Sustainable Consumption Translated into Ethical Consumer Behaviour?" by Monica (2021). This article discusses the impact of sustainable behaviour on consumers' moral will from political, social, and environmental perspectives. It explores how is sustainable consumption translated into ethical consumer behaviour and measures the impact of certain dimensions of sustainable behaviour on ethical consumption. And measures the impact of certain aspects of sustainable behaviour on ethical consumption. The ethical issue discussed is the potential disconnect between sustainable consumption and environmentally ethical behaviour. “The environmental dimension of sustainable consumption positively influences both the political and environmental dimensions of ethical consumption, with a larger impact on the political dimension.” (Tomsa et al., 2021, p.8) For example, as mentioned in the article, the global electronic waste recycling market and the consumption of ethically labelled food are both increasing, and there is a growing interest among consumers and governments in sustainable actions and policies. The main evidence supporting this issue is research findings, with four fifths of the hypotheses proving a positive correlation between the environmental dimension of sustainable consumption and the political and environmental dimensions of ethical consumption, with a greater impact on the political dimension but not on the social dimension. Other articles, such as "The consumer as citizen: the role of ethics for a sustainable consumption" (Cecilia Ricci et al. 2016), also recognize the difficulties in establishing the connection between sustainable consumption and ethical behaviour.

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Egoism emphasizes the maximization of individual self-interest, and in the context of sustainable consumption, this ethical view presents complex impacts. From the perspective of consumers, selfishness may lead to behaviours that go against sustainable consumption. For example, some consumers may only focus on product prices and their current satisfaction, while ignoring the environmental impact and social equity issues in the product production process. They may choose products with low prices but environmentally unfriendly production processes, as this can meet their selfish need to save expenses in the short term.” Y gen consumers are purchasing more, demanding more and living on a higher debt to equity ratio (Abela, 2006) than their parents. Researchers suggest marketing as a major contributing factor to societal degeneration and excessive consumption in this group.” (Hume, et al., 2010, p. 386) This indicates that some consumers are influenced by self-interest factors, overconsumption, and insufficient consideration for sustainability. From a corporate perspective, selfishness may manifest as companies adopting strategies that are not conducive to sustainable development in pursuit of maximizing their own profits. For example, companies may use unsustainable raw materials or production processes to reduce costs. Although these actions may have negative impacts on the environment and society, if they can increase the company's economic benefits in the short term and conform to the logic of self-interest, the company may choose to do so. The ethical issue of selfishness highlights the contradiction between individual interests and collective interests, short-term interests and long-term interests in sustainable consumption. It reminds us to pay more attention to how to guide individuals and businesses to pursue their own interests while also balancing the goals of sustainable development, achieving coordinated development of the economy, society, and environment.

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The next ethical theory that truly demands our in-depth consideration is utilitarianism. Utilitarianism firmly posits that the primary objective must be to maximize the overall happiness or utility of the majority. This profound and far-reaching theory holds substantial significance in evaluating the morality of both consumer behaviour and the business practices related to sustainable consumption. Under the essential premise of sustainable consumption, when a company takes the firm decision to produce and sell environmentally friendly and socially responsible products, it can justifiably be seen as acting in full compliance with utilitarian principles. This is mainly because such lofty actions can generate considerably greater benefits by efficiently reducing the negative impacts on the environment and society. As a result, it leads to an increase in the overall happiness and well-being of a significantly larger number of people. Conversely, if a company persists in engaging in behaviour that is blatantly harmful to the environment, from a utilitarian perspective, it will undoubtedly be considered unethical. This is because companies in such cases have not maximized overall happiness and well-being. Moreover, in the long run, they may cause harm of varying degrees to many people. This harm could range from minor inconveniences to major disruptions in the lives of individuals and communities. Therefore, discussions surrounding sustainable consumption and ethical consumption behaviour can be analysed from a utilitarian perspective. Enterprises should attach importance to and refer to this theory as it takes society and the environment into consideration at a deeper level and provides a framework for their decision-making.

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The UN SDGs came about in 2015 to address global challenges such as poverty, inequality, and climate change. SDG 12, Responsible Consumption and Production, focuses on ensuring that consumption and production patterns are sustainable. Its purpose is to promote resource efficiency, reduce waste, and encourage sustainable practices throughout the lifecycle of products. The targets of SDG 12 include achieving sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources, reducing food waste, and promoting sustainable public procurement. By achieving these targets, we can move towards a more sustainable and equitable world, where resources are conserved, and everyone benefits.

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Ethics are of utmost importance for businesses as they serve as guiding principles for their decision-making processes, have a significant impact on their reputation, and make a substantial contribution to sustainable development. We can perceive the significance of maximizing overall well-being through sustainable practices though Sustainable Development Goal 12 highlights the complexity involved in attaining its objectives. Enterprises ought to integrate ethical concepts into their corporate strategies and cultivate employees' moral awareness and sense of responsibility to pay attention to this ethical issue.

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Reference List

Tomsa, M. - M., Romont,i - Maniu, A. - I., & Scridon, M. - A. (2021). Is Sustainable Consumption Translated into Ethical Consumer Behavior?

Sustainability 2021, 13(6),3466; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063466

Paavola, J. (2001). Towards Sustainable Consumption: Economics and Ethical Concerns for the Environment in Consumer Choices. Review of Social Economy, 59(2), 227 - 248. https://doi.org/10.1080/00346760110036175

Hume, M. (2010). Compassion without action:

Examining the young consumers consumption and attitude to sustainable consumption. Journal of World Business, 45(3), 385 - 394.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2009.08.007

Ricci, C., Marinelli, N., & Puliti, L. (2016). The consumer as citizen: the role of ethics for a sustainable consumption. Agriculture and Agricultural Science Procedia, (8), 395 - 401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aaspro.2016.02.035

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As discussed in the journal article, the ethical issue of sustainable consumption not being consistently translated into ethical consumer behaviour has a profound impact on SDG 12. The progress in attaining this goal has been delayed due to challenges such as the complexity of the relationship between sustainable consumption and ethical behaviour. For example, the article highlights that while there is an increase in certain sustainable actions, the link to specific ethical dimensions is not always clear. Moreover, the targets of SDG 12 might be regarded as rather ambiguous, and achieving them requires addressing multiple factors simultaneously, which can make it difficult. Businesses need to be more proactive in understanding and addressing these challenges to contribute to the achievement of the SDG.

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Some companies engage in commercial activities such as counterfeiting, passing off inferior products as good, and false advertising to deceive consumers and pursue profits. This approach, which only considers the efficiency of making money for the enterprise without considering the interests of customers, is typical egoism. The video above shows the previous melamine incident. Sanlu Company added melamine to milk in order to reduce costs and increase profits, seriously endangering consumer health. In the end, these companies were also subjected to legal sanctions and market condemnation. It does not comply with the sustainable development of SDG12.