Consumers regularly make decisions for specific products or services that have a series of consequences – this includes, for example, production conditions, environmental damage, or climate impacts. Responsible consumer decisions could therefore be politically desirable, raising the question of what role responsibility plays in consumer policy. To systematically approach various facets of consumer responsibility, this chapter first deals with concepts of responsibility that can be relevant for consumer policy. On this basis, the chapter is dedicated to the concrete assumption of responsibility by the consumer, as it can ultimately lead to political action. In addition, the consumer’s responsibility is in focus in terms of how it acts as an expectation for political decisions. The chapter concludes that even responsible consumers in complex consumer societies are dependent on support and provides arguments as to why government interventions in the market are still – or perhaps increasingly – necessary.
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