Influence leads intention: How micro-celebrity endorsements and care motivations drive sustainable consumption

The purpose of this paper is to present a methodology for visualizing spatial data on the results of monitoring sustainable household activities. The research covers the creation of a methodology for using a GIS-based approach in the visualization of spatial data on indicators on sustainable consumption. Current research activities on sustainable urban consumption and the methods for presenting aggregated results reveal the novelties in this paper. Testing the proposed methodology for using a GIS-based approach in the visualization of spatial data on indicators of sustainable consumption results in the adaptation of the new technology in other countries, cities, teams focused on the analysis and visualization of spatial data on certain indexes. Moreover, the proposed approach opens two dimensions: (1) the possibility of visualization of cross-sectional spatial data on sustainable consumption and (2) the possibility of visualization of time series spatial data on sustainable consumption. The results of the study showed that other researchers and municipality specialists on sustainable urban consumption may use the proposed methodology for presenting (visualizing) spatial data. They may be cross-sectional or time-series spatial data. This visualization is an opening point for the decision-making process in finding solutions to some problems with ecology, recycling and taking specific measures to promote and stimulate sustainable consumption. Moreover, measures for preventing bad practices in contrast with sustainable consumption may be taken. The suggested method introduces the potential to visualize cross-sectional spatial data related to sustainable consumption and the opportunity to visualize time series spatial data on sustainable consumer activities. The study findings indicate that other researchers and consumption sustainability experts can employ this proposed approach to present spatial data effectively.

Purpose Sustainable consumption has far-reaching implications globally, with promotion of sustainable consumption also identified as one of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Hence, there is a need for relevant information to guide consumer buying decisions. Eco-labels have been created to serve as one of the key communication platforms for this purpose, but studies indicate low levels of comprehension. Hence this paper proposes a conceptual framework using established neuroscience theories and principles to address this topic of significance. Design/methodology/approach The “Simplicity Principle” propagates that simpler explanations find place over complex ones. Also, the Dual System Theory focuses on the two systems, intuitive System 1 and cognitive System 2, used by the brain to process information. We spotted a research gap here and leveraged these theories and drew from several earlier studies to propose a framework that presenting information in a “simple” manner on eco-labels would accelerate sustainable consumption. Findings System 1 works to reduce cognitive process and load on System 2, influencing overall choice and purchase decision. System 2 capacity requires the need to minimize cognitive load through processing simpler messages. Quick processing of information by System 1 generates impressions, attention and attitude. Once accepted by System 2, these often remain unchanged unless necessary and invariably turn into beliefs and voluntary action. Simplicity leverages speed and effortless processing ability of System 1, reducing effort of cognition by System 2 and enabling a decision (to purchase “green”). Practical implications Sustainability and sustainable consumption are matters of social and environmental concern and significance. This framework proposes the need for policymakers and businesses to consider adopting the “simplicity” approach in promoting sustainable consumption through bridging the vital gap in the understanding of eco-labels by consumers. There are implications and opportunities for researchers to conduct empirical research across different categories to validate this framework. Originality/value While several methods have been explored and implemented, given the significance of sustainability and sustainable consumption, eco-labels suffer from lack of comprehension, thus affecting adoption by consumers. Applying fundamental neuroscience principles of “simplicity” seems to have been overlooked so far toward addressing this gap. This framework proposes that applying “simplicity” to stimuli such as eco-labels and communications be considered to address and correct the situation and help to accelerate sustainable consumption.

Household food consumption is a major driver of environmental impacts globally. Promoting sustainable consumption practices is crucial for addressing the challenges of resource depletion, food waste, and climate change. This study investigates the role of media literacy in fostering sustainable consumption awareness and behavior. A total of 432 Iranian consumers participated in the study by completing an online structured questionnaire. The data was analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), revealing that the different aspects of media literacy, including usage, accessibility, content generation, and critical understanding, accounted for 93% of the variance in sustainable consumption awareness. Additionally, these factors explained 51% of the variance in sustainable consumption intention. The combined influences of sustainable consumption awareness and intention accounted for 87% of the variance in sustainable consumption behavior. To promote sustainable consumption, it is recommended to establish dedicated networks and channels that focus on delivering sustainable and healthy consumption content. Furthermore, organizing programs featuring environmental experts and interactive platforms, such as question-and-answer panels, can enhance critical understanding among media-literate audiences and contribute to the adoption of more sustainable consumption practices.

Purpose Conspicuous consumption and sustainable consumption are commonly understood as being in contradiction with each other. Yet, scholars have recently become increasingly interested in examining positive relationships between these forms of consumption. The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize the synergies and contradictions between sustainable and luxury consumption and proposing whether and how conspicuous motives can foster a shift towards sustainable consumption in newly industrialized countries in general and Egypt in particular. Design/methodology/approach This paper is a conceptual note, intended as a starting point and acting as an eye-opener regarding the values inherent in both conspicuous and sustainable consumption and the potential influence that conspicuous motivations could have on the latter. Findings The paper discusses the possibilities for and limitations of conspicuous motives to foster sustainable consumption in newly industrialized countries in the Middle East. The adoption of westernized lifestyles, spreading in Middle Eastern countries, can represent a venue for motivating sustainable consumption behaviours as a means of status distinction. On the other hand, the trickle-down effect and the preconditions of visibility and exclusiveness pose risks on promoting sustainable consumption by addressing conspicuous motives. Practical implications The paper suggests that the synergistic interplay between conspicuous and sustainable consumption, as well as barriers and motivations underpinning both constructs, needs to be empirically researched, while factoring in the cultural specifics of the countries under study, as cultural nuances can influence the dynamics of interaction between conspicuous and sustainable behaviours. Originality/value Given the salience of the relationship between luxury and sustainable consumption and the focus of most studies on early-industrialized countries, insights regarding the possible influences of conspicuous motives on sustainable consumption in newly industrialized countries are warranted. With the scarcity of research examining the ambiguous relationship between conspicuous and sustainable consumption in newly industrialized countries, this paper contributes by providing insights about the conditions that can help conspicuous motives promote sustainable consumption in newly industrialized countries.

Objective: Understand sustainable production and consumption from human needs. Its objectives are: to describe sustainable production from human needs, to explain the relationship between human needs and sustainable consumption Theoretical Framework: Main concepts and theories that support research from human needs and sustainable production and consumption are presented, finding strong relationships with ecological limits and circular economy, providing a solid basis to understand the context of the research. Method: Qualitative, documentary analysis technique and systematic analysis tool of the content of scientific documents according to prism declaration, grouping publications and compiling the most prominent concepts. Results and Discussion: For sustainable production based on human needs: socioeconomic, political and environmental factors, circular economy, sustainable production models and ecological limits; results for the relationship between human needs and sustainable consumption: motivators, patterns and determinants in purchasing behavior, promotion of responsible lifestyles and education for sustainable consumption. Research Implications: Sustainable production and consumption contribute to satisfying the needs of communities from the context and that the consumer and producer must recognize the limits of the planet and satisfiers which allow having a responsible lifestyle and that promote well-being. Originality/Value: Understand that although the need to be satisfied must be clear, it is essential to recognize its satisfaction from the environmental, social, and economic dimension. Its relevance lies in the relationship of elements found in the collected publications to visualize sustainable production and consumption as a strategy aimed at promoting sustainable lifestyles from the consumer's awareness, considering biophysical limits, social justice, and economic sustainability

Given the plethora of choices and the abundance of products available in the market, household roles in practicing sustainable consumption and lifestyle in their daily life is crucial.As a newly industrialized country, Malaysian consumers are experiencing high consumerism spirits due to strong purchasing power.Hence, reoriented the complexities of consumption patterns towards sustainability requires defragmentation, prioritization and gradually change to find for more practical and strategic actions to overcome the barriers and policy intervention.Thus, this study aims to explore and analyze to what extend the sustainable consumption and lifestyle are being practices, ii.What are the barriers to foster the gradual changes to performs such behavior and iii.how the complexities of consumption structure to create the conducive environmental for behavioral changes towards sustainable behaviour.

This study explores the intellectual and thematic structure of research on social sustainability and sustainable consumption through a bibliometric analysis of publications indexed in Scopus from 2000 to 2024. Using VOSviewer, the study analyzes co-authorship networks, country collaborations, and keyword co-occurrences to uncover dominant themes, influential contributors, and emerging trends in the field. Results indicate that core concepts such as sustainable development, social sustainability, and sustainable consumption form the foundation of the literature, while newer topics like circular economy, purchase intention, and economic sustainability reflect an evolving focus toward practical and behavioral dimensions of sustainability. The collaborative network is largely centered in Europe, though growing international connections suggest an increasingly global research community. The findings reveal a maturing field that integrates behavioral, systemic, and policy-oriented perspectives, yet also highlight the need for more inclusive and context-sensitive approaches. This study offers valuable insights for academics, policymakers, and practitioners aiming to understand and advance the integration of social values in sustainable consumption systems.

This chapter presents the overview of consumer attitude; the aspects of consumer attitude, trust propensity, purchasing behavior, and consumer confidence; the perspectives of consumer attitude, social media, and online brand community; the facets of consumer attitude and technology adoption; the emerging trends of consumer attitude and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR); the concept of sustainable consumption; the characteristics of sustainable fashion consumption and sustainable apparel consumption; sustainable energy consumption; sustainable food consumption; the challenges of sustainable development; and the importance of sustainable consumption and sustainability. The chapter argues that mastering consumer attitude and sustainable consumption has the potential to enhance organizational performance and reach strategic goals in the digital age.

The new paradigm shift in the discourse on sustainability and sustainable consumption globally and particularly in Africa, has led to the need to understand the consumption practices of people in order to strategize and safeguard scarce natural resources for posterity. This study aims to systematically review published research to answer the research question: what evidence exists on individuals' sustainable consumption practices in Africa? The study focuses on consumers' waste minimisation, sustainable food consumption, sustainable transport and sustainable energy consumption in Africa, to provide evidence for policy decisions and future research. The study adopts the 2015 Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines, Arksey and O'Malley's suggested scoping review framework, and Levac et al. 2010 recommendations. To present the results of this review, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis Extension for Scoping Review would be used. This study seeks to identify future strategies to encourage greater sustainable consumption practices in African households.Keywords: Sustainable consumption and production, Waste minimisation, Sustainable food consumption, Sustainable energy consumption, Sustainable transport, AfricaJEL Classifications: M31, P28, P36, Q01, Q56DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/irmm.11845

An Institutional Economics Framework to Explore Sustainable Production and Consumption

Climate change, overconsumption, air, and water pollution continue to be pressing issues for society. Given the significant impact of overconsumption, the search for strategies to promote more sustainable behavior has become a topic for investigation. Universities are uniquely positioned to help students work toward sustainable solutions. This research explored the role of mindfulness in university students' sustainable consumption awareness and practice as there are gaps in the literature concerning definitions, constructs, and research regarding mindfulness and sustainable consumption. To address these disparities, this research used stepwise regression analysis to investigate the extent to which mindfulness and select demographic measures explained variation in sustainable awareness and consumption practices among 809 university students at a university located in the southeastern United States. The 15-item Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale was used together with measures of sustainable consumption awareness and practice. In addition, this study examined the extent to which meditation operated as either a moderating or mediating variable in the relationship between mindfulness and sustainable consumption awareness and practice. Taken together, results revealed that demographic variables and mindfulness explained more variation in sustainable consumption awareness than in sustainable consumption practices. Although mindfulness was a positive predictor of both, the findings surrounding religion and religiosity were surprising. The most significant positive predictors of sustainable consumption awareness were associated with individuals identifying as atheists or agnostic. Contrary to expected findings, these results cast a new light on the role of religion or lack thereof in sustainable consumption. In addition, undergraduates who did not meditate were less aware of the need for sustainable consumption. Finally, the Sobel test revealed that meditation operated neither as a moderating or mediating factor for sustainable consumption awareness; however, meditation did have a moderating impact between mindfulness and sustainable consumption practice. The findings offer insight into the attitude-behavior gaps prevalent in sustainable consumption practice, resulting in inaction, further compounding environmental issues. The study prompts a rethinking of the role of institutions of higher education regarding sustainability and the role that organized religion may play in developing the attitudes of undergraduates.

Purpose: The purpose of this work is to determine a promising algorithm for institutionalizing and financing responsible production and consumption in the regions of Russia in the Industry 4.0 in order to maintain environmental safety. Design/methodology/approach: In order to achieve this goal, the following tasks are consistently solved. The first task is to determine the current impact of industry financing 4.0 on the prevalence of responsible production and consumption practices in the regions of Russia, based on econometric modeling by regression analysis. Second task: proposal and justification of improved practices of financial support of practices of responsible production and consumption in regions of Russia in conditions of Industry 4.0 in order to maintain environmental safety. Findings: The results of the research revealed an imbalance in the contribution of society and business to the sustainable development of the regions of modern Russia. As it turned out, digitalization of business contributes to the popularization of practices of responsible consumption, but the internetization of society does not contribute to responsible consumption. This confirmed the hypothesis put forward about the insufficiently high effectiveness of institutional environmental security in the regions of Russia. Originality/value: An algorithm has been developed to institutionalize and finance responsible production and consumption in the regions of Russia in the Industry 4.0 in the interests of maintaining environmental safety. The proposed algorithm demonstrated the sequence of managing the processes of greening digital society and business in the regional economy, and outlined promising areas of financial support for responsible production and consumption in the regions at each stage.

Behavioural change by households is increasingly anticipated to make an important contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gasses and other emissions. Global studies have shown that housing, mobility, food, and, with increasing income, manufactured products are important sectors to target from a consumption perspective (Hertwich and Peters, 2009). As a result, monitoring of the environmental impacts of consumption at the household level is necessary to evaluate current performance and to support the understanding of how initiatives for change can be implemented. In Europe food is at the core of the discussion of sustainable consumption being responsible for 20-30% of the overall environmental externalities of household consumption (Tukker et al., 2010). Existing sustainability assessment tools vary in scope and methodological approach but are commonly characterised by a production orientation (Ness et al., 2007; Singh et al., 2009). Well established examples are life cycle assessment, material flow analysis and environmentally extended input-output models. In contrast, consumption-based emission accounting is a recent development with the objective to juxtapose consumption and production emissions in order to demonstrate the effects of emissions associated with international trade, especially for GHG (e.g., Kerkhof et al., 2009; Kastner et al., 2011). Thus the environmental literature has yet to propose a tool to measure environmentally sustainable food and non-food consumption at the household level, surprising as this may appear at the first instance. Against this background we develop an indicator of sustainable household food consumption the Environmentally Sensitive Shopper Index (ESSI). Our index is based on revealed consumer preferences and uses supermarket data. The main concept behind the construction of the indicator is that food consumption spans over many different individual products but that its environmental impact is limited to a number of key “dirty” categories (Kramer et al., 1999; Kim and Neff, 2009). Hence, there is no need for an exhaustive view of total food consumption as long as we observe expenditures for these key items. Yet, our index does not impose an upper limit on the number of categories included and ideally would include all products in the supermarket. A second concept is that sustainable consumption is an ethical practice of consuming differently to reduce environmental impact (Evans, 2011). To formalize these concepts in micro economic terms, imagine a retailer with J food categories including C clean categories, and D dirty categories (C+D ≤ J). We define a category as “dirty” if its consumption is relatively carbon intensive, and “clean” otherwise. In each category, this consumer makes two consecutive choices: whether to purchase a product within a specific food category jÎ J and the amount to spend on food in category j. Next, food consumption has to be related to environmental damage. We explore two approaches. First, we assume that sustainability is linear with expenditures by category: consuming more of a “dirty” good means more environmental damage; while consuming more of a “clean” good means less environmental impact. Our second approach allows for non-proportionality between sustainability and food consumption: a consumer is considered more sustainable whenever her levels of consumption are above a threshold for “clean” categories, or below a threshold for “dirty” categories. These thresholds are defined as consuming more than the mode of the observed expenditure shares for the “clean” categories and less than the mode for “dirty” foods. Consequently, the thresholds define sustainability in relative terms as determined by the most frequently observed consumption behaviour (the mode) in the data. We compare different options for the aggregation of the food categories for both the linear and the binary environmental damage approach: averages, arithmetic mean and geometric means. We illustrate the ESSI with a pilot application for food purchases in the UK focusing on carbon emissions. The selection of “clean” and “dirty” food product categories was based on Defra’s (2010) ‘Food 2030’ and Sustain’s (2007) ‘Eat Well and Save the Planet’ reports, which include a set of consumer-oriented guidelines on more sustainable food consumption. While these reports differ in details the consensus is that more sustainable consumption means: eating less meat, particularly red meat, and more F&V; selecting local and seasonal products; drink tap rather than bottled water; and reduce car travel for the purpose of food shopping. The pilot application uses supermarket scanner data for food purchases in Tesco supermarkets. The pilot is based on the weekly expenditures of Tesco’s 16.5 millions UK cardholders over the period June 2009-May 2011. The application is illustrated with examples of how the ESSI can be used to identify environmentally critical periods during the calendar year.

BackgroundSustainable food consumption addresses global environmental challenges and safeguards long-term public health. Understanding how sustainability awareness translates into dietary practices is particularly important among young populations.ObjectiveThis study examined the mediating role of sustainable dietary behavior in the relationship between sustainable consumption tendencies and sustainable food consumption behavior among sport sciences university students, using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as a partial framework.MethodsA cross-sectional design was applied with 414 Erciyes University Faculty of Sport Sciences students. Data were collected through the Sustainable Consumption Scale, Sustainable Nutrition Behavior Scale, and Sustainable Food Consumption Behavior Scale. Mediation analysis was performed using PROCESS Macro Model 4 with 5,000 bootstrap samples to test indirect effects.ResultsSustainable dietary behavior significantly mediated the association between sustainable consumption and sustainable food consumption behavior (indirect effect = 0.10, 95% CI [0.04, 0.15]). Sub-dimensions such as seasonal and local food choices and waste reduction are strongly linked with sustainable food consumption.ConclusionThe findings suggest that fostering sustainable dietary behaviors is crucial for converting sustainability awareness into concrete dietary practices. University students constitute a key target group for public health and sustainability initiatives, and interventions should emphasize education, accessibility, and awareness to reinforce behavior-based change.

Sustainable consumption is defined as use of goods and services that caters to one’s basic needs and to enhance quality of life while minimizing resources used, such that future generations’ needs are not jeopardized (Dolan, 2002). Sustainable consumption has received great attentions in the fashion industry; given the substantial impact apparel production has on environmental pollution (Claudio, 2007). For example, Claudio (2007) cited the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Solid Waste report, which suggested that on average an American discards 68 pounds of textile and clothing every year. The present study is an effort to understand consumers’ behavioral intention toward sustainable fashion consumption utilizing attitudebehavior and value-behavior consistency models. In particular, the predictive power of these models in the context of sustainable fashion consumption is analyzed, individually as well as in combination.