Investigating environmentally sustainable consumption: A diary study of home‐based consumption behaviors

Abstract

AbstractThis study analyzes three environmentally sustainable household consumption behaviors (optimizing the use of domestic water, minimizing food waste, and minimizing plastic packaging usage) through the model of goal‐directed behavior. The findings show that attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, anticipated emotions, and habits are all significant predictors of the desire to adopt sustainable consumption behaviors, which directly fosters the intention to adopt these behaviors. Intention–behavior links were unique for each behavior; minimizing plastic packaging usage was the most difficult behavior to implement. This study offers useful insights into people's sustainable consumption goals and their intentions to adopt responsible consumption behaviors. A generalizable model of environmentally sustainable household behaviors that considers the three behaviors simultaneously is presented. This study suggests that business and policy strategies that could successfully promote sustainability in the household might proceed by, for example, empowering consumers or changing their habits.