Responsible consumption of resources (RC) is not only related to becoming aware of its environmental impacts, such as the depletion of resources or the generation of waste. RC can be defined as the awareness of individual consumers about their rights and responsibilities in the market, and this awareness must include concern for people, communities, and countries.

A socially responsible consumer acquires and uses products with a new perspective, which takes into account the relationship between sustainability and consumerism, but also the political, cultural, social and economic implications related to the way in which the goods have been produced. This new fair consumer is concerned with how the resources to manufacture the goods they buy are obtained, processed and produced, worrying about the people and the conditions of the places where they come from.

The responsible consumer is also concerned about the effects of globalisation, and is aware of the exploitation, the poverty, the unbalanced relations between rich and poor countries, the lack of respect for human and labour rights in many countries, the standardisation and cultural imposition that dilutes traditions and ancestral knowledge, etc.