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Abstract
The concept of sustainability has been widely discussed in the public arena by public entities and companies; however, consumers express inconsistency and confusion around the meaning of sustainability. This study aims to provide insights into consumers’ associations with the concept of sustainability in general and within two behavioural domains that represent daily necessities (i.e., food and clothing), in addition to exploring the motivational drivers behind sustainable behaviours. A total of 23 semi-structured interviews were conducted with young consumers in Denmark to address this aim. Consumers perceived the concept of sustainability as complex and mainly related it to environmental aspects, whereas social and economic aspects were less emphasised. The interviewees used examples of sustainable behaviours, which cover the whole consumption-cycle, when interpreting sustainability. Consumers had various motivations to engage in sustainable behaviours and these varied by the stage in the consumption-cycle and domain. The interviewees displayed external motivation (e.g., save money, better taste), introjected motivation (e.g., impress others, public self-consciousness), internalised motivation (e.g., reflection of self) and even intrinsic motivation (e.g., pure interest) to engage in different types of sustainable food or clothing behaviours across the consumption-cycle. Different types of motivations drove the same behaviour, suggesting potential synergies or internal conflicts.
Highlights
Consumers, as users of products, play a critical role in sustainability as they contribute to the pressure put on the planetary boundaries through their consumption [1,2,3]
Besides corroborating previous literature where environmental aspects were prevalent in consumers’ associations with the concept of sustainability in general [12,31,67] or in a specific domain—e.g., clothing [10,12,68]—the present study extends this literature by exploring the similarities and differences in the associations that people make with sustainability across two specific domains—food and clothing
Internalised motivation is most consistently linked with frequent sustainable behaviours [83] and intrinsic motivation represents the highest level of internalisation; the present study showed that few people are intrinsically motivated enough to engage in sustainable behaviours
Summary
As users of products, play a critical role in sustainability as they contribute to the pressure put on the planetary boundaries through their consumption [1,2,3]. Researchers, industry representatives and policymakers focus their attention and efforts on sustainability as a solution to the current environmental and social issues. Both the United Nations, at a global level, and the European Union at regional levels, have put forward a range of initiatives, actions and goals aimed at attaining sustainable development [6,7]. Industries respond to calls for sustainability by making efforts to integrate sustainability in their businesses and deliver sustainable products to consumers [8]. The business sector and public entities are increasingly using the concept of sustainability in their communication strategies
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