In contemporary society, individuals lack the clear reference points that once orientated their choices. Citizens face this uncertainty also in their role as consumers, increasing their concerns and responsibilities. However,this situation allows the growth of alternative experiences within society, which seek to combine the quest for personal well-being and the expression of a sense of solidarity starting from the field of consumption. The spreading of responsible consumption extends the confines of traditional economic models and brings ethical and social discourse back into economic theory, also through the analysis of ′fair prices′ and the willingness of consumers to pay them. Contemporary society is also characterised by a progressive process of individualisation and privatisation. These two concepts sum up the process of enfranchisement of individuals from socially-binding historical forms of belongingness towards a situation characterised by the predominance of fluid and individualised management of the various aspects of human life. This process gives rise to a society that is increasingly fragmented, unstable (changeable) and flexible, in which the collective protections present in the past cease to exist without being replaced by any others. In this new scenario, consumption tends increasingly
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