Understanding ethical products: Definitions and attributes to consider throughout the product lifecycle

Current consumption practices have intensified social and economic inequality, environmental degradation, and labor exploitation. In this sense, developing and consuming ethical products is a strategy for the population to reach environmentally and socially responsible consumption standards. Although research on ethical consumption has advanced, what characterizes and defines an ethical product still needs to be clarified and unified in the existing literature. Also, there is a lack of knowledge about the ethical attributes that must be considered throughout the product's life cycle. Thus, this article performs a systematic literature review to (i) understand and clarify the definitions of ethical products and (ii) map the ethical product attributes considered by consumers throughout the different stages of the product life cycle. Based on the analysis of 91 articles, it was found that the concept of an ethical product is dynamic and complex but can be understood from the grouping of characteristics associated with organizational reputation, consumer values, and product characteristics. Moreover, it was possible to identify that, in the before use, use, and after use stages, the ethics perceived in a product encompasses tangible and intangible attributes associated not only with the product itself but with marketing practices and the organization.