Concept Of Sustainable Consumption Research Articles

Secondary school students' metaphoric perceptions of values related to the concept of sustainable consumption

Secondary school students' metaphoric perceptions of values related to the concept of sustainable consumption

Reimagining the sustainable consumer: Why social representations of sustainable consumption matter

AbstractGlobally, consumers are increasingly turning to sustainable consumption practices. This article emphasizes the importance of social and cultural context in the study of sustainable consumption, drawing on social representations. It attempts to explain and empirically demonstrate how sustainable consumption is socially represented. The aim of the study was to investigate the construction of representations of sustainable consumption as knowledge and its appropriation in relation to the purchase and consumption of food. Online focus groups were employed in a cross‐sectional study conducted in Slovenia and Austria. The results of the study not only show how the “global” concept of sustainable consumption is appropriated and reflected in practices in a specific national and cultural context, but also highlight the importance of social representations in terms of how their meanings can influence the emergence of new practices. Furthermore, they show how sustainable consumption can occasionally be seen in actions that precede reflection or exist in a more abstract form unrelated to actions. The results offer several implications for practitioners seeking to promote sustainable consumption.

Understanding and achieving sustainable consumption: Integrating international political economy and psychology perspectives

AbstractThe concept of sustainable consumption has gained significant attention in international policy discussions. In order to achieve sustainable consumption, it is essential to thoroughly comprehend the underlying causes of current unsustainable consumption patterns and the associated challenges in transitioning to more sustainable practices. This research, employing perspectives from international political economy and psychology, elucidates that unsustainable consumption is rooted in a combination of systemic and individual factors. Systemic factors encompass unequal exchange relations, lack of efficient telecoupling framework, political and ecological trade‐off dilemma. Individual factors include unsatisfied needs, insufficient environmental concern, and low self‐efficacy. Drawing upon these findings, this study presents a comprehensive set of macro and micro‐level policy recommendations for achieving sustainable consumption and a more equitable and sustainable future.

Sustainable Consumption in the Behavior of Young Consumers

The aim of the article is to characterize the attitude of young consumers towards the concept of sustainable consumption in the area of food consumption, which is manifested, among others, in the declared engagement in sustainable behaviors both in the market as well as in households. The research was conducted using the CAWI method on a sample of Polish consumers from the Lubuskie region. The article consists of two parts. The first part explores the problems of sustainable consumption. The second part presents the results of research on consumer attitudes towards the concept of sustainable consumption in the area of food consumption. Particular attention was paid to the awareness of the implications of consumer behavior in the process of satisfying food needs. Behaviors, attitudes and beliefs of consumers related to sustainable consumption were characterized, and an attempt was subsequently made to determine the extent of the gap existing between behaviors and attitudes. The conducted survey research constituted an attempt at highlighting certain consumption problems among young people, to have them share their views on the different issues of sustainable consumption, as well as to emphasize the importance of various factors in shaping sustainable food consumption patterns. The article certainly is not an exhaustive examination of all the problems areas of sustainable consumption, but it should make these more easily identifiable all while stressing the real role and importance of sustainable behaviors among young consumers in the modern economy.
 Keywords: sustainable consumption, sustainable development, young consumer.

MINIMALIST LIFESTYLE DETERMINATION SCALE DEVELOPMENT STUDY IN TERMS OF ENVIRONMENTAL BIOETHICS

The minimalist lifestyle is to maintain a simple life in many areas of your life, such as things, clothes, food, exercise, money, time, and technology. The minimalist lifestyle is intertwined with the concept of sustainable consumption. In sustainable consumption, a person consumes only as much as he needs, does not spend limited world resources on luxury aspirations. This lifestyle shows people that happiness comes with simple living, not consumption. In this study, the scale of minimalist lifestyle determination has been developed in terms of environmental bioethics. After the literature review, expert opinion was taken for the item pool created, and statistical studies of the scale were carried out accordingly. Afterwards, the pilot study of the scale was carried out. Scale sampling was applied after the arrangements made after the pilot study. The universe of the study consists of employees (academicians, administrative staff and others) of two universities and all individuals who agreed to participate without going to the sample selection were included in the study. The sample consisted of 408 people. As a result of statistical studies carried out after sampling of the scale, the scale was finalized. The scale consists of 25 items and 3 dimensions. These dimensions are called “Minimalist Life”, “Sustainable Environment” and “Time Management”.

Fabrication of electro-conductive thin films of nanoparticles and MXene sheets using reclaimed Zn, Mn, and C from spent batteries

Farseeing sustainable consumption concept, major parts of zinc‑carbon battery i.e. zinc, manganese and central graphite rod were up cycled. Low temperature roasting technique was employed for the extraction of zinc and manganese. Optimization of multiple parameters was meticulously adjusted that resulted in the recovery of 99 % Zn and Mn. Respective nanoparticles were derived from leached solutions that were characterized through XRD, FESEM-EDX and further employed in fabrication of semi-conductive thin films via Layer by Layer technique. Central carbon rod of spent cells and recycled aluminum were incorporated for the synthesis of MAX phase composite followed by its conversion to MXene sheets. The MAX phase composites symbolized as MAX/Al2Ti-800 and MAX/Al2Ti-900 were successfully prepared at relatively lower temperatures i.e. 800 °C and 900 °C respectively. The prepared composites were further etched via MILD method for preparation of MXene800 and MXene900 derived from MAX/Al2Ti-800 and MAX/Al2Ti-900 and were characterized using XRD and SEM. Presence of Al2Ti within MXene800 made it quite stable against hydrolysis as depicted by Raman and UV–visible spectra. Electrical conductivity of MXene800 measured by resistance meter was 3.9 × 102 S/cm; moreover, MXene800 was tailored in free-standing thin films having architecture [CNER-MXene800@PVC] that showed significant thermal resistance as well as exhibit semi-conductive nature.

Types of E-Consumers and Their Implications for Sustainable Consumption—A Study of the Behavior of Polish E-Consumers in the Second Decade of the 21st Century

This article is based on the findings of a longitudinal study examining the behavior of Polish e-consumers. A series of methodically planned and executed surveys was conducted to elucidate the evolution of online consumer behavior over the past decade. The objective of this article is to diagnose changes in the behavior of selected types of e-consumers from Generations X and Y over the last decade, and link them to the concept of sustainable consumption. The 2020 study employed a sample possessing attributes similar to the 2010 research study, maintaining the sample distribution in terms of gender, education, and age. Characterizations of the identified consumer types were derived from prevalent psychographic traits, attitudes towards oneself and others, behavioral patterns, and determinants of buying behavior. Four distinct types of Polish e-consumers were identified: HQ_type (those seeking the Highest Quality products), MS_type (those intending to Save Money during shopping), LT_type (those dedicating the Least amount of Time to shopping), and DP_type (those Deriving Pleasure from the shopping experience). The identified Polish e-consumer types were subjected to a comparative analysis spanning a decade. The findings reveal significant alterations in the behavior of e-consumers representing various types, with a trend favoring sustainable consumption. Generally, Polish e-consumers are shown to demonstrate conscious and sustainable consumption behaviors, such as effective financial management, especially evident in the MS_type group. They typically purchase products within their means, avoiding expensive credits to fulfill their “needs.” Half of the HQ_type, MS_type, and LT_type e-consumers recognize the importance of budgeting and spending tracking for informed consumption, whereas the DP_type, who enjoy shopping, tend to overlook active financial management, perceiving it as a burdensome task. Over the years, a positive shift in the HQ_type’s attitude towards spending management has been observed. A significant aspect of conscious and sustainable consumption involves planned purchases. More than half of the HQ_type, MS_type, and LT_type e-consumers adhere to ready-made shopping lists, while the more impulsive DP_type frequently opts to shop in-store without any preceding planning. This research carries both theoretical and practical implications. The repeatability of the studies renders them a fundamental source of knowledge about the studied populations over time, and serves as an exclusive means of learning about changes in market phenomena and processes in a scientific manner. The findings of this article may prove valuable for e-commerce managers in devising strategies for effective sales promotion and customer communication for different types of e-consumers.

The Relationship between Urbanization and Consumption Upgrading of Rural Residents under the Sustainable Development: An Empirical Study Based on Mediation Effect and Threshold Effect

With the rapid development of urbanization, the overall consumption level of rural residents has been improved accordingly in China, and the consumption structure has gradually become perfect. However, in the process of urbanization, it is necessary to handle some practical problems in order to realize the sustainable development of consumption in rural areas. Under the concept of sustainable consumption, urbanization has become a new engine that drives rural residents’ consumption in China. The digital economy has injected new vitality to expand domestic demand as well. Therefore, whether consumption upgrading in rural areas is affected by urbanization and the digital economy is a topic worth studying. To discuss the relationship between urbanization, the digital economy and consumption levels in rural areas, this paper uses an intermediary effect model to test how urbanization promotes the consumption upgrading in rural regions with the digital economy as the intermediary variable and explores the threshold characteristics of urbanization. The results are as follows: urbanization significantly promotes the rural residents’ consumption upgrading, and there is regional heterogeneity. It improves the consumption optimization in the eastern and central regions, but not in the western region. The digital economy intermediates the relationship between urbanization and consumption optimization. Moreover, urbanization has a double threshold, and with the increase of the threshold value, the marginal effect of urbanization on rural residents’ consumption upgrading also increases gradually. China should seize the opportunities of the development of urbanization and the digital economy, constantly raise farmer income, and narrow the income gap between urban and rural area, so as to promote the sustainable development of consumption in rural areas.

Sustainable consumption among children in the aspect of waste management

Purpose: The aim of the study was to identify consumption patterns among children. The article analyses the concept of sustainable consumption, focusing on children’s consumption behaviour patterns in the field of sustainable waste management. Design/methodology/approach: The paper uses a critical analysis of the literature and survey research based on a prepared questionnaire. The survey was conducted among 1326 children in age groups from 9 to 15 years old. The questionnaire consisted of two parts, i.e. the substantive part and the respondents’ particulars. The first part of the questionnaire contained a set of questions concerning e.g. children’s ability to identify products with better environmental parameters, behaviours related to nutrition, saving, shopping, spending free time, waste management and implementing pro-ecological solutions in their households. Findings: The survey conducted among young consumers primarily pointed to the shortcomings of knowledge on waste segregation. Despite the fact that the vast majority declare that waste is collected selectively in their homes, they are unable to correctly indicate what type of waste should be thrown into the appropriate bins. Therefore, it is recommended that in each school, both primary and secondary, there are containers for selective waste collection, along with a description and instructions on what kind of waste should be placed in them. Undoubtedly, this will increase the ecological awareness of children and teach pro-ecological behaviour. Practical implications: Modification of primary school curricula to a greater extent emphasizing content related to the principles of sustainable consumption in the area of rational waste management. Social implications: Shaping sustainable consumption patterns among children by building awareness of appropriate behavior in the field of post-consumer waste management. Originality/value: The article presents the current state of knowledge on consumption patterns among children in the area of waste management. This is a particularly important issue in the context of shaping sustainable consumption patterns among the surveyed group of market participants. Keywords: sustainable consumption, food products, a child as a consumer, food market, ecolabelling. Category of the paper: Research paper.

The Greening of Consumption: Challenges for Consumers and Businesses

Abstract The concern for the condition of the natural environment requires taking a new approach towards consumption and meeting consumer needs (Bocking 2009). Despite many initiatives related to the paradigm of sustainable development and the concept of sustainable consumption, the situation is still far from a general departure from mass consumption and consumerism. The article aims to try to synthetically organise the views of other authors on the challenges of greening consumption, both for enterprises and consumers in the context of social responsibility. Competences play an important role in this process. The greening of consumption has not yet been widely propagated in societies, including also Polish society. One of the crucial elements of greening consumption is the purchase of ecological/organic food products. To learn about the behaviour of Poles towards the issue discussed in this article, the authors conducted a study on a representative sample of Poles (N = 1,000) during Nov. 15–27, 2021, using the Computer Assisted Web Interview (CAWI) technique (which is an online surveying technique that fits into the quantitative methodology of market and opinion research) and online panels as part of the omnibus study. The survey shows that only 7.1% of the respondents have never purchased ecological/organic food products. Among buyers, 21.8% do it rarely/sporadically, 40.1% occasionally/sometimes, 20.2% often/try to choose ecological products when shopping and 10.8% do it very often or always. Among the respondents, 55.3% declared that ecological/organic products are expensive but still worth the price due to the health benefits they bring. Noticing the advantages of these products, 63.7% of respondents would like to buy more of them. In view of the results obtained, it can be said that it is necessary to disseminate the main greening consumption ideas that are apparent from this study, and this can be done through education, building consumer competences or visualising the effects of the continuation of current consumption habits. The problem of protecting the natural environment, discussed in numerous documents issued by governments and international organisations and in scientific publications, cannot remain unnoticed. Greening consumption is a challenge for companies whose production should be rational in using non-renewable natural resources, reducing or eliminating toxic waste, using recyclable packaging and introducing ‘clean production’ principles aimed at obtaining consumer products using more cost-effective and healthier methods. It is also a challenge for consumers, who should replace perishable goods with products with a longer life cycle, consume goods and services more sparingly and cease to accept planned obsolescence of products or unethical behaviour of enterprises towards their employees.

Changing values of millennials and centennials towards responsible consumption and sustainable society

PurposeThe individual’s set of values determines how they make decisions and navigate various personal and professional issues. This study aims to investigate the substitutability of self-improvement values for self-transcendence values in fostering responsible consumption behaviors in society, using Schwartz’s Basic Human Values as the theoretical foundation.Design/methodology/approachFocus group discussions are used to investigate the research problem. Representative samples of 100 centennials or Generation Z college students (50 undergraduate and 50 postgraduate students) and 45 millennials or Generation Y working employees were chosen for focus group talks to ensure the findings’ correctness. Using thematic analysis, the information gathered was coded and analyzed manually.FindingsThe paper looks into whether people’s self-transcendence values play a role in getting them to act responsibly when they buy things. This study gives us much new information about how people’s values change and how people buy things in today’s world.Research limitations/implicationsThis study explains how changing values make people want to be more responsible with their money and adds to the literature on sustainable consumption and consumer behavior. Using the lens of Schwartz’s Basic Human Values, this study extends the theoretical domain of responsible consumption.Originality/valueThe concept of sustainable consumption is essential for the next generation’s well-being. The sustainable development goal (SDG) 12 of responsible consumption is the focus of this study. This is a novel study to examine and understand factors that can facilitate consumers to consume responsibly to attain the SDGs. This is also one of the first studies on responsible consumption, using focus group discussions as the research methodology.

Impact of Peer Influence and Environmental Knowledge on Green Consumption

In current times, the concept of sustainable consumption is at the forefront owing to the impact it creates on the society and the environment. Consumers have become more observant towards the consumption related environmental problems and it influences their purchase decisions. There is a link between the consumer concern for the environment and also their knowledge levels about the environment friendly products. While most of the studies agree that environmental knowledge and environmental concern as the prime factors, how consumers gain this knowledge and concern was not adequately explained. Based on the literature survey a conceptual model was designed and a structured closed ended questionnaire was used to collect the responses from 309 respondents, the measurement scales were borrowed from the existing literature. The results show that those consumers possessing a high intensity of environmental knowledge and peer influence to encourage them to have stronger intentions to become sustainable conscious customers.

Mapping the Concept of Sustainable Consumption: An Analysis From the Adoption and Promotion of Pro-Environmental and Social Behaviors in University Students

The concept of sustainable consumption has been described in the literature from different perspectives, but few have focused on defining the consumer perspective and strategies to appropriate this knowledge and behaviors in the classroom, which becomes a major challenge in times of Covid 19 and confinement. This article proposes an approach to the concept by university students from the implementation of a pedagogical strategy, which involved the implementation of a virtual learning community and the evaluation of the understanding of this concept through the use of mind maps (pre and post). Through the mind maps, data were collected to evaluate the understanding of the concept, the analysis of semantic richness and systemic complexity. The results show the associations established by the students, proposing a categorization system arising from the data and the previous literature review. The study concludes that the students broadened their vision of sustainable consumption in terms of the actors involved, consumption decisions and the social and environmental dimensions of sustainability.

Ecolabeled seafood and sustainable consumption in the Canadian context: issues and insights from a survey of seafood consumers

The concept of sustainable consumption is a much debated practice that has been seen as an outcome of the emergence of ecological citizenship—a concept that brings together the citizen and the environment in a framework that is underlined by social justice considerations and incorporates a vision of citizenship that involves both the private sphere and the public sphere of human activity. This study examines Canadian consumer awareness and uptake of certified sustainable seafood. We introduce the concepts ecological citizenship and sustainable consumption as a way of framing our research. Seafood ecolabels may be a valuable tool in translating general environmental concern about the marine environment into more sustainable fisheries practices. We conducted an on-site consumer survey in the Greater Toronto Area and a nearby city. Our findings showed that in contrast to high levels of awareness of the importance of the marine environment and the sustainability of seafood, consumers had a limited understanding about the meaning of sustainability in the case of seafood, and little knowledge about actual ecolabels found in the Canadian marketplace. Attitudes towards the marine environment and sustainable seafood, understanding of the meaning of seafood sustainability, and purchasing behaviors of sustainable seafood were significantly different by some socio-demographic characteristics. Positive attitudes towards the marine environment and sustainable seafood and better understanding of seafood sustainability were significantly associated with the increased purchasing of ecolabeled seafood. Lack of understanding of ecolabels, limited information about product sustainability, and lack of in-store guidance were identified as key barriers to purchasing ecolabeled seafood products.

Comparative Assessment of Sustainable Consumption Based on the Digital Information Environment Content-Thematic Component Differentiation

The modern culture of consumption often does not correspond to the principles of sustainable development, which leads to environmental pollution. As a possible solution to this problem, the authors propose to analyze the concept of sustainable consumption, following which can reduce the negative impact of mankind on the environment, which is an urgent issue at the global level. The aim of the study is to build a tool for comparative analysis of the level of sustainable consumption. The analysis is carried out in the digital environment, since this space provides a relative freedom of expression of the opinion of individuals, and the obtained data reflect the real level of “sustainability” of the behavior of participants in thematic social communities. The result of the research is an analytical tool tested on thematic social communities of the VK.com social network. In the process of building an analytical tool, primary and secondary tokenization were carried out using computer linguistics tools, an analytical dataframe was formed for a source reflecting the studied content-thematic component. To automate the process of forming a set of tokens, Python 3 programming language was used. The proposed tool can be used to determine the level of sustainable consumption in different social communities relative to each other. This approach can be used by companies to find target audiences and to promote environmentally friendly products. Moreover, this tool can be applied to attract consumers by increasing the level of sustainability in the corporate culture based on the research results. A separate problematic of realizing the developed methodology is the ethical component of analyzing natural digital information and the use of the results obtained on the basis of its analysis.

Exploring the Preferences of Consumers’ Organic Products in Aspects of Sustainable Consumption: The Case of the Polish Consumer

The dynamically developing trend of sustainable consumption is manifested, among others, by the growing interest in organic products on the part of consumers. The aim of this article was to identify the behavior of Polish consumers in the market of organic products and to establish a link between their environmental awareness and willingness to buy organic products. The authors hypothesized that there is a relationship between consumer awareness of the concept of sustainable consumption and the consumption of organic products. Consumer awareness means making conscious choices based on the knowledge expressed in the attitudes and, sometimes, preferences of the food brand. The research was conducted using a proprietary survey questionnaire. A total of 1067 respondents participated. A statistical analysis was performed by using Statistica 13.1 PL software, which includes descriptive statistics, the discriminant function analysis, and regression analysis. Motives were identified that are of crucial importance to the consumer deciding to purchase organic products. These include: beneficial health effects, contents of nutrients, no additional substances used in food production, taste, and others. A statistical relationship was established between environmental awareness and the tendency to buy organic products. Among the organic products, eggs, fresh fruit and vegetables, honey, cow’s milk and its derivatives, as well as cereal products, are the most preferred by consumers of both genders. The proposed model, which outlines the relationship between environmental awareness and the tendency to buy organic products, includes the following variables: care for the environment and animal welfare, no harmful substances used in food production, low level of processing, short shelf life.

Indirect carbon dioxide emissions from interregional trade in Japan under the target of carbon neutrality

With Japan’s emphasis on domestic demand and the gradual expansion of interregional trade, indirect carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have become an important factor limiting Japan’s realization of carbon neutrality in 2050. In this study, using regional trade data, input-output analysis was applied to study indirect CO2 emissions from the domestic exports/imports of 30 prefectures in Japan in 2010, and log-mean Divisia index decomposition analysis was conducted to analyze the factors influencing the net indirect CO2 emissions of each prefecture. The main results are as follows: (1) some manufacturing prefectures with obvious characteristics of an export-oriented economy supply the market demand of most areas in Japan with their industrial products and have become the main net CO2 exporters undertaking the vast majority of CO2 emission reduction tasks; (2) consumer prefectures not only guide the output of manufacturing prefectures to a certain extent but also export a substantial amount of indirect CO2 emissions to other prefectures through the service industry, which is widely seen as a low-carbon emitter and is as such neglected by regulations aimed at reducing emissions. Therefore, the implementation of carbon neutrality needs to balance the relationship between production and consumption. While reforming the technology of the manufacturing prefecture from the production side to reduce CO2 emissions, the market demand of the consumer prefecture should also be adjusted from the consumption side to enhance the concept of sustainable consumption.

Assessing Customer Attitudes towards Zero Waste Shopping in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa

In any modern society, waste is the ultimate symbol of inefficiency and represents a total misallocation of resources (Zaman and Lehmann 2013, 123). Waste generation is one of the greatest challenges facing society. By the year 2050, global waste will increase by 70% if action is not taken. According to Babayemi and Dauda (2009, 83), waste is defined as a product of human activities which is regarded as being useless. The South African Waste Information Centre (2016) elaborates that waste is any substance, object or material that is unwanted and discarded, regardless of whether it can be reused, recycled or recovered. In order to slow waste generation and prevent the depletion of global resources, a concept of sustainable consumption and living is required (Song, Li and Zeng 2015, 199). The conceptualisation of zero waste is the most visionary idea for addressing global waste issues. Zaman and Lehmann (2011, 177) state that zero waste involves designing and managing materials, products and processes in such a way as to avoid and eliminate all waste, thus conserving and recovering every resource from waste streams Keywords: Sustainability; waste; waste management; zero waste shopping

Do footprint indicators support learning about sustainable consumption among Swedish public officials?

Consumption-based environmental indicators, also termed footprints, give a sense of society’s progress towards sustainable consumption. Although they have been published for several decades, little is known about their use and influence in policymaking. From the wider body of research into the use and influence of sustainability indicators, we see evidence that sustainability indicators contribute to learning and conceptual thinking in policymaking. This paper explores whether this is also the case for footprint indicators, and how any conceptual thinking or learning might come about from their use. We investigate these questions, along with whether the use of footprint indicators affects wider social and organizational structures to prompt the desired move to sustainable consumption, and how, therefore, the value of indicators as learning instruments might be enhanced. The analysis draws on activity theory, focusing on expansive learning. It uses data from a series of interviews, focus groups and workshops with Swedish public officials at national, regional and local government levels.We find that footprint indicators helped officials to learn about the concept of sustainable consumption and push the agenda forward while awaiting clearer political targets and mandates. This was not, however, due to the indicators alone, but rather to the creative practices and agency of committed government officials. Meanwhile, the use of indicators often takes place through one-way communication activities aimed at changing the behaviour of other actors; there is less evidence of their use to support dialogue among diverse views and interests. We conclude that if the aim is to change practices toward sustainable consumption throughout society, then political executives must put the necessary institutions and authority in place alongside the indicators, to support public officials tasked with implementation. This must be linked to a deeper political debate about what the policy agenda entails.

A fenntartható fogyasztás egy lehetséges ösztönzője

With the growth and spread of the concept of sustainable consumption and with the re-emergence of issues related to needs, the basic concepts of consumption need to be analyzed from aspects not inspected by mainstream economics. Consumer behaviour is largely determined by the prevailing values of society and nowadays consumption symbolizes social status. The purpose of this study is to critically examine the concept of utility, to review traditional and alternative concepts and aspirations related to the promotion of sustainable consumption. The authors argue, that utility can not only be examined by narrow economic considerations; the values of present and future generations also must be taken into account when determining what is considered to be useful. The study concludes by presenting alternative financial solutions that encourage sustainable consumption. The presented examples demonstrate, that complementary currency models are suitable means to encourage sustainable consumer behaviour. These are external motivational tools eliciting the desired behaviour through reward schemes.