Internal and External Determinants of Consumer Engagement in Sustainable Consumption

Žaneta Piligrimienė,Hubert Korzilius,Jūratė Banytė,Aistė Dovalienė,Andželika Žukauskaitė

doi:10.3390/su12041349

Žaneta Piligrimienė, Hubert Korzilius + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su12041349

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Abstract

Rapid population growth together with improving living standards is causing bigger and more rapid consumption of resources in industrial, household and personal consumption areas. Unsustainable consumption patterns are negatively affecting our surroundings. In order to promote sustainable consumption it is important to engage consumers in active and mutual dialogue. This study introduces the construct of consumer engagement into the context of sustainable consumption and aims at revealing the factors influencing consumer engagement in sustainable consumption. Two groups of factors, internal and external, each comprising three determinants (environmental attitude, perceived responsibility and perceived behavioral efficiency; and conditions for sustainable consumption, social environment and promotion of sustainable consumption) were identified as having direct positive impact on consumer engagement in sustainable consumption, which in turn had a positive impact on green product buying. The results revealed an important mediating role of the consumer engagement construct, suggesting that application of the engagement construct in the context of sustainable consumption would allow a deepening understanding of actual consumer behavior related with different contexts of sustainable consumption.

Highlights

Modern society can be broadly described as having two faces: 1) One reflects consumerism—buying more, consuming more, and throwing away more; 2) another reflects the concern about the use of resources and the impact it has on the environment
The results are provided in a the following order: 1) Descriptive analysis of determinants, consumer engagement in sustainable consumption and green product buying behavior is presented first; 2) results of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM) are presented; and 3) differences based on socio-demographic characteristics are briefly discussed
We tried to disclose factors that might be important in fostering consumer engagement in sustainable consumption

Summary

Introduction

Modern society can be broadly described as having two faces: 1) One reflects consumerism—buying more, consuming more, and throwing away more; 2) another reflects the concern about the use of resources and the impact it has on the environment This second “face” of the society is showing itself more and more, speaking out loud about the negative effects that unsustainable consumption patterns have on our surroundings. Sustainability issues were perceived as mainly a responsibility of producers, leaving the consumer out of the way This is no longer the case, as research reports that individual consumption behavior is a key driver of current unsustainable development [1]. Increasing environmental concern still does not lead to a sufficient part of actual consumer behavior in the context of sustainable consumption (SC)

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Conclusion