Meliora: a podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute
Welcome to the Meliora Podcast from the Sustainability and Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton!
This podcast explores the greatest and most wicked problem that is sustainability, whilst looking at how we are collectively addressing this critical global challenge.
Sustainability needs to be addressed by understanding how the economy, society, culture, politics and environment intersect, and this is the focus that informs each episode of the Meliora podcast.
In each episode, host Professor Simon Kemp and guest hosts are joined by a variety of guests, including academics, students, staff, researchers, alumni, community groups and business leaders.
The aim of the podcast is to shine a light on the vast range of topics surrounding sustainability and to allow listeners to learn about the critical challenges we face, as well as how they can be part of the solution. We also ensure our fantastic students have the opportunity to share their brilliant work with the world.
Podcast host: Professor Simon Kemp, Deputy Director of the Sustainability & Resilience Institute, University of Southampton
Podcast editors: Lily Killner, Sophie Green, Libby Kale, Jack Dinham, Ellie Howell, School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton
Podcast communications: Hannah Parish, Alexander Ayerst, Maya Stevens, University of Southampton
Please do get in touch to discuss this podcast and any of the issues we raise by emailing sri@soton.ac.uk
Follow us on instagram and X: @meliorapodcast
Meliora: a podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute
Eleanor Toppin: A Comparative Study: Exploring Student Consumer Perspectives on the Transition from Non-Ethical to Ethical Fashion Purchases
Eleanor Toppin, BA Geography, joins us to discuss her research project 'A Comparative Study: Exploring Student Consumer Perspectives on the Transition from Non-Ethical to Ethical Fashion Purchases'.
Despite many students having an ethical mindset, they often fail to translate their intentions and attitudes into ethical purchases. This study aims to understand whether sustainability- based education can bridge these behavioural gaps in ethical fashion consumption. It examines students’ desire to shift towards ethical consumption, the challenges they encounter during this transition, and potential strategies to facilitate this change. To assess knowledge’s role, a total of 10 qualitative interviews were conducted and analysed. The interviewees were reached through stratified sampling. The average age of the participants was 20 years ranging from 20-21. Five participants were female and five were male.
The results show that completing the USOM2043 Global Sustainability Challenges module enhanced students’ commitment to ethical fashion consumption by deepening sustainability- based knowledge and equipping them with the skills to assess ethical claims. Completers faced post-intentional barriers, while non-completers struggled with foundational uncertainties. Solutions differed, emphasizing the need for both awareness-building and systemic changes to support ethical consumption.
Future research should use in-person or hybrid formats to encourage more reflective discussions on ethical consumption. Practical implications emphasise bridging knowledge gaps and raising awareness of consumer impacts.
Episode guest: Eleanor Toppin, BA Geography
Episode host: Prof Simon Kemp
Episode producer and editor: Libby Kale
