Causes of Consumer Materialistic and Green Value Conflict: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

In societies where considerable sectors of the population are materialistic consumers, there is a noticeable phenomenon of the conflict between the consumers’ materialistic and green values. The unsustainable consumption behavior of consumers is still a major issue in consumer behavior and environmental science. The topic of value conflict has caused great interest among psychology researchers. However, the research investigating the causes of the consumers’ materialistic and green value conflict is sparse. Therefore, the aim of this semi-systematic literature study (n = 25) is to identify the causes of the materialistic and green value conflict from the perspective of consumer behavior. Content analysis reveals seven possible causes which may influence the green and materialistic value conflict: dissonant information, environmental beliefs, environmental concern, impulsive buying, consumer confusion, anti-consumption, and decision evaluation. The analysis shows a probable relation between environmental beliefs and environmental concern, as well as a relationship between environmental beliefs and anti-consumption. The current research yields insights into the phenomenon of consumers’ materialistic and green value conflict, with attention being paid to the under-researched causes of the conflict. In the light of materialistic inclinations and sustainable consumption, new forms of sustainability campaigns, such as showing the benefits of anti-consumption and simpler lifestyles for materialistic consumers, are presented for marketers and policymakers.