Abstract

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

Highlights

  • Humans crave for too much materialism has led to the haphazard use and destruction of the earth’s resources, which in turn has resulted in terrible environmental consequences, such as greenhouse gas emissions, environmental pollution, damage to the ecosystem, depletion and shrinking of natural resources (Ansu-Mensah and Bein, 2019; Guo et al, 2018; Seegebarth et al, 2016)

  • Deforestation and land degradation are some of the dire trepidations of woodfuel systems which in turn is related to unsustainable consumption and production (Chidumayo and Gumbo, 2013; Njenga et al, 2018)

  • Evidence shows that about 20-30% of greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation are attributed to food consumption and production (Welch and Southerton, 2019)

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Summary

INTRODUCTION

Humans crave for too much materialism has led to the haphazard use and destruction of the earth’s resources, which in turn has resulted in terrible environmental consequences, such as greenhouse gas emissions, environmental pollution, damage to the ecosystem, depletion and shrinking of natural resources (Ansu-Mensah and Bein, 2019; Guo et al, 2018; Seegebarth et al, 2016). In this study, sustainable products and services refer to the eventual outcomes of individuals’ SCB and practices regarding energy use, waste reduction (recycling), food consumption, and transport use (Fielding et al, 2010). It is worth-noting that the concept of sustainability and sustainable consumption is essential and ought to be part and parcel of everyone’s daily lifestyle, safeguarding the scarce resources on earth for future generations (Sharma and Rani, 2014). Research gluts in sustainable consumption and production practices will be ascertained when a systematic scoping review is conducted

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