Civic consumption is a model for

social change Social change is the alteration of the social order of a society which may include changes in social institutions, social behaviours or social relations. Definition Social change may not refer to the notion of social progress or sociocult ...

that leverages shared

buying power Bargaining power is the relative ability of parties in an argumentative situation (such as bargaining, contract writing, or making an agreement) to exert influence over each other. If both parties are on an equal footing in a debate, then they wi ...

to reward socially responsible businesses. The model operates by gathering groups of consumers to leverage the group's size in order to expand access to a particular good or service.

History

The term first appeared in 2013, in a ''Fast Company'' article featuring Groundswell co-founder,

Will Byrne Will Byrne is an activist and entrepreneur. Will was named one of Forbes’s 30 Under 30,clean energy Clean may refer to: * Cleaning, the process of removing unwanted substances, such as dirt, infectious agents, and other impurities, from an object or environment * Cleanliness, the state of being clean and free from dirt Arts and media Music Al ...

sector by Groundswell. The model has expanded to increasingly include

hybrid organization A hybrid organization is an organization that mixes elements, value systems and action logics (e.g. social impact and profit generation) of various sectors of society, i.e. the public sector, the private sector and the voluntary sector. A more gen ...

s. In 2013, Groundswell launched the Civic Consumption Network. This network includes organizations such as

Freelancers Union Freelancers Union is a nonprofit organization based in New York City that provides advocacy, programming and curated insurance benefits for freelancers through partnerships. The organization dessiminates information through monthly meetings. Rafa ...

First Book First Book is a national, nonprofit social enterprise focusing on educational equity as a path out of poverty. The organization addresses barriers to education faced by children in low-income and historically excluded communities by providing brand ...

, EveryoneOn, and

Common Market The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...

. In December 2013, with the support of the

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...

, the Rita Allen Foundation, and the

Kendeda Fund Diana Latow Blank (born September 13,
Sep 18, 2015 ...

, Groundswell hosted a national summit to discuss strategies for social change."Civic Consumption Summit 2013"
CivicConsumption.org Notable attendees included Sara Horowitz of the

, Andrew Kassoy of

B Lab B, or b, is the second letter of the Latin-script alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is '' bee'' (pronounced ), plural ''bees''. It re ...

, and Lewis of the

U.S. Green Building Council The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), co-founded by Mike Italiano, David Gottfried and Rick Fedrizzi in 1993, is a private 501(c)3, membership-based non-profit organization that promotes sustainability in building design, construction, and op ...

References

{{reflist, 30em Social economy

History

See also

References