Understanding the 'green' consumer: The internal factors that prompt behaviour in an everyday context

Concern over the social and environmental impacts of economic activity has been subject to extensive academic debate over the past four decades. Increased economic activity through large scale industrialisation has led to... [ view full abstract ]

Concern over the social and environmental impacts of economic activity has been subject to extensive academic debate over the past four decades. Increased economic activity through large scale industrialisation has led to increased concerns on natural resource depletion, waste management, dangers of toxic chemicals, and climate change. The concept of sustainability seeks to rectify these issues. Consumer behaviour is critical to the impact society has on the environment; the actions and choices that people make have direct and indirect implications for the environment. However, changing the day-to-day behaviours of individuals is a difficult issue to address. Research over the past 30 years has segmented the green consumer market with an aim to understand and direct lower levels of consumption. However, there is considerable contention that this segmentation process and the following interventions have not brought about the desired change in behaviour. This paper presents a brief review of the sustainable consumption literature and presents findings from 25 semi-structured interviews of the internal factors which shape pro-environmental behaviours. Participants in this study were parents’ of Green School-going children. The aim of this paper is to present these findings and explore how these internal factors prompt behaviours in an everyday context.