Consumer behaviour change through education for sustainable development: case of Latvia

Abstract

More sustainability and sustainable development are major challenges faced by society today. Consumer's choices and the use of products and services have important impacts on the environment; consequently, consumer behaviour is crucial. Education and pedagogics help select real sustainable living attitudes of students, their families and friends. This case study describes the mid-term results of a teaching assignment and survey in three Latvian higher education organisations which involve system thinking and students' action on consumer choices of household chemicals. The multilayer results provide insight into the consumption of these chemicals and show that one year after the assignment, students changed their behaviour. Results also show that students' households use considerable amounts of chemicals, and in most cases before the assignment, did not pay attention to their health and environmental impacts. The method used is applicable at all educational levels and in different study areas, for a variety of household products.