Sustainable consumption: green consumer behaviour when purchasing products

William Young; Kumju Hwang; Seonaidh McDonald; Caroline J. Oates

doi:10.1002/sd.394

journal article Open Access Mar 10, 2009

Sustainable consumption: green consumer behaviour when purchasing products

William Young

Kumju Hwang Seonaidh McDonald Caroline J. Oates

Sustainable Development Vol. 18 No. 1 pp. 20-31 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1002/sd.394

Abstract

AbstractThe ‘attitude–behaviour gap’ or ‘values–action gap’ is where 30% of consumers report that they are very concerned about environmental issues but they are struggling to translate this into purchases. For example, the market share for ethical foods remains at 5 per cent of sales. This paper investigates the purchasing process for green consumers in relation to consumer technology products in the UK. Data were collected from 81 self‐declared green consumers through in depth interviews on recent purchases of technology products. A green consumer purchasing model and success criteria for closing the gap between green consumers' values and their behaviour are developed. The paper concludes that incentives and single issue labels (like the current energy rating label) would help consumers concentrate their limited efforts. More fundamentally, ‘being green’ needs time and space in people's lives that is not available in increasingly busy lifestyles. Implications for policy and business are proposed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

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Details

Published: Mar 10, 2009
Vol/Issue: 18(1)
Pages: 20-31
License: View

Authors

Cite This Article

William Young, Kumju Hwang, Seonaidh McDonald, et al. (2009). Sustainable consumption: green consumer behaviour when purchasing products. Sustainable Development, 18(1), 20-31. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.394

Sustainable consumption: green consumer behaviour when purchasing products

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