Differing Perceptions of Sustainable Consumption and the Role of Habits as Barriers to Sustainability

Small changes to everyday behavior can make a difference. Sustainable consumption, which an intentional, everyday behavior that can improve the environment, can reduce waste and helps conserve resources. Lack of time and money have been cited as possible reasons for not sustainably consuming, even when the people know about environmental issues. Environmentally conscious people know about environmental issues and how to make changes to act more sustainably. However, habit can also be an extremely strong predictor of action or inaction. The researchers believed that knowledge alone is not enough to predict behavior, particularly given that it can be very challenging to break habit. This study looked deeper into the meaning of sustainability as defined by participants and explored the role of habits in environmental knowledge.

The researchers interviewed eight participants from Peterborough in northeastern England. The interviewees were selected from a broader study on sustainability in which participants indicated interest for participation in this interview. The participants ranged in age from 25 to 65; four were male and four were female. All of the participants were white and were living in privately owned homes. The participants were selected because they were already environmentally conscious, and they were asked about their everyday behavior and habits during the interview. To analyze the data, the researchers looked for themes throughout the interviews that could give insight into participants' beliefs about sustainable consumption. The researchers interviewed people until they reached saturation and were no longer observing new themes, which happened after 8 interviews.

The researchers found that many participants were aware of the environmental issues, but they chose to act unsustainably anyway. People were not actively choosing to unsustainable consumption, but habits happen without much thought. As a result people do what they are used to rather than what may be sustainable or correct, often resulting in less sustainable behaviors. The study also found that participants reported that recycling was a social norm.

More specifically, the researchers identified five themes from the interviews around why the participants chose to consume sustainably or unsustainably. The first theme was sustainable actions and impacts of consuming unsustainably. Participants mentioned recycling often and vague abstractions such as “saving the planet” when explaining why they acted sustainably. The second theme was consuming sustainably but not with the primary goal of sustainability. Some participants cited convenience, preference, or economic factors as being of higher consideration than environmental impacts, even when their actions were sustainable. The third theme was unsustainable habits. Participants explained that they often are not thinking or get swept up in the “business of life.” Some discussed how habits are large barriers to acting sustainable. The fourth theme was the role of generation and identity in stewardship. The participants who were grandparents felt strong responsibility to behave more sustainably to safeguard the environment for future generations. However, many of the older participants also discussed not wanting to change their travel behaviors, such as choosing an energy efficient train instead of a plane, even though this choice had negative environmental impacts. The fifth theme was being frugal by nature. Some of the participants were raised with values around reducing waste, so they continued this pro-environmental habit.

This study used a small sample size from a narrow geographic region of relatively homogeneous demographics. The authors recommend looking into consumption among those with different socioeconomic statuses and levels of education, as both of those have been shown to correlate with environmental consciousness and behavior. The authors also recommend deeper examination of how to change people's habits and thoughtlessness by creating intentionality. As a way of promoting reduced consumption, the authors recommend using specific models of sustainable consumption so that it becomes more concrete. Additionally, it is not just important to combat unsustainable day-to-day activities, but also to attempt to change rare but impactful behaviors, like modes of travel.

This study suggests that unsustainable consumption should be brought to the forefront of consciousness. To promote sustainable behaviors, messaging around promoting intentionality of actions and reflection on habits may be effective. Messages that simply rely on environmental consciousness and awareness may not be enough to break habit and typical patterns of consumption. The findings also suggest that appealing to frugality and concern for future generations may help improve uptake of sustainable products. The researchers also believe that people who are retiring and becoming grandparents are entering time of life when an opportunity arises to change habit and routine, and pro-environmental messaging may be more successful with this demographic.