Abstract
ABSTRACT Purpose: Analyze the thematic evolution of the research field on sustainable consumption from 1999 to 2019. Originality/value: The study advances the understanding of the development of the research field on sustainable consumption, analyzing the main publications and topics covered. Design/methodology/approach: Systematic literature review through a bibliometric study with analysis based on citations supported by the CitNetExplorer software, using core publication and clustering techniques. Two hundred sixty-four articles were analyzed. Findings: The most recent publications converge on the need to change the current patterns and levels of consumption and to engage dif- ferent stakeholders in participatory and co-creation processes. Also, the existence of five research clusters was identified, namely: 1. eco-efficiency with a focus on greening the market; 2. consumer behavior with an emphasis on encouraging the purchase of green products; 3. social nature of consumption that inserts the sociological perspective; 4. dynamic approach for considering the interdisciplinarity of the field; and 5. the role of education for sustainable consumption. The various themes found reveal contributions from different areas of knowledge and the importance of developing research that integrates the dynamics of the challenges to achieve sustainable consumption. We emphasize the need for an integrated approach due to the inherent complexity of the theme that involves economic, technological, political, social, psychological, and environmental aspects for governance in favor of sustainable consumption.
Highlights
Sustainable consumption and production are considered one of the main determinants of sustainable development (Barber, 2007; Bengtsson, Alfredsson, Cohen, Lorek, & Schroeder, 2018; Liu, Qu, Lei, & Jia, 2017)
Some of the main barriers to sustainable consumption are the high price of eco-friendly products, lack of information, and knowledge on the part of consumers, unsustainable habits, and low levels of ecological awareness (Han, 2020), among other complex and contextual issues (Kreuzer, Weber, Off, Hackenberg, & Birk, 2019) involving macro-structural, institutional and market aspects, which must be considered in the development of research and policy formulation to promote sustainable consumption (Brizga, Mishchuk, & Golubovska-Onisimova, 2014; Byers & Gilmer, 2018; Jackson, 2005; Prothero et al, 2011; Schröder et al, 2019; Thøgersen, 2010; Tukker et al, 2008)
The most recent perspective of research on sustainable consumption has emphasized the role of citizens who organize for more sustainable lifestyles with changes in individual values (Bachnik & Szumniak-Samolej, 2018; John, Jaeger-Erben, & Rückert-John, 2016; Schröder et al, 2019), taking into account that the consumption problem is not limited to eco-friendly products and environmental impacts, but is a social issue (Briceno & Stagl, 2006; Jaeger-Erben & Offenberger, 2014; Lorek & Spangenberg, 2014)
Summary
Sustainable consumption and production are considered one of the main determinants of sustainable development (Barber, 2007; Bengtsson, Alfredsson, Cohen, Lorek, & Schroeder, 2018; Liu, Qu, Lei, & Jia, 2017). The research field on sustainable consumption began to diversify with different methodological approaches and multidisciplinary theoretical contributions It was ranging from the emphasis on environmental governance that considered the participation of only a few actors to the collaboration of various stakeholders in the formulation of policies to achieve ways of sustainable production and consumption (Liu et al, 2017), as well as a systemic perspective (Akenji & Bengtsson, 2014; Bengtsson et al, 2018). Bibliometry, as a research method, makes it possible to map this process based on bibliographic information (Lu & Liu, 2016; Song, Heo, & Kim, 2014) In this sense, the study by Liu et al (2017) analyzed the evolution of the research field on sustainable consumption from 1995 to 2014, identifying the main authors and networks of co-authorship by bibliometric methods.
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