This study examines the awareness of industrial designers and consumers to ethical issues related to product design. It also explores the impact ethics has on consumer behaviour and the design process. Two separate questionnaires were conducted with consumers and industrial designers from the United Kingdom. An interview was also conducted with Dr. Monika Hestad, an expert in the interaction between branding and product design.

The results of the study indicate that those engaged in the practice of industrial design are more aware of ethical issues than consumers and interpret ethical issues in a more favourable manner. It also highlights that people have biases towards brands and that the biggest criteria to overlooking ethical issues is the product price. It was also found that industrial designers believe that ethics are important consideration in the design process for which they feel a responsibility to uphold and educate others.

This paper discusses ethical responsibility throughout the product lifecycle and suggests methods in which designers can act more ethically and the scope they have to make a positive impact in a world where ethics are becoming increasingly adopted by companies as a core value.