Michael G. Luchs

Sustainable Consumption: Opportunities for Consumer Research and Public Policy

This essay explores sustainable consumption and considers possible roles for marketing and consumer researchers and public policy makers in addressing the many sustainability challenges that pervade the planet. Future research approaches to this interdisciplinary topic must be comprehensive and systematic and would benefit from a variety of different perspectives. There are several opportunities for further research; the authors explore three areas in detail. First, they consider the inconsistency between the attitudes and behaviors of consumers with respect to sustainability. Second, they broaden the agenda to explore the role of individual citizens in society. Third, they propose a macroinstitutional approach to fostering sustainability. For each of these separate, but interrelated, opportunities, the authors examine the area in detail and consider possible research avenues and public policy initiatives.

Managing the Tensions at the Intersection of the Triple Bottom Line: A Paradox Theory Approach to Sustainability Management

Corporate sustainability management encompasses multiple dimensions: environmental, social, and economic. Companies are increasingly evaluated within the public sphere, and within their own organizations, according to the degree to which they are perceived to simultaneously promote this nexus of virtues. This article seeks to explore the tensions frequently faced by organizations that strive to manage these dimensions and the role of public policy in that pursuit. A multiple–case study approach is utilized in which the authors selected case organizations according to whether they were attempting to manage the three dimensions of sustainability. The authors utilize paradox theory and a typology provided by previous research to understand the nature of the tensions that emerge in the selected case study organizations. They extend this previous work by examining the role of public policy in providing the situational conditions to make these paradoxical tensions salient, and they examine organizational responses to these conditions. Directions for firms, policy makers, and future researchers are provided on the basis of this studys findings.

Exploring consumer responsibility for sustainable consumption

Abstract This article advances our understanding of sustainable consumption by focusing on the emerging concept of consumer responsibility for sustainable consumption (CRSC). Employing a recent scale of consumer’s ‘felt responsibility’ for sustainable consumption, we begin with the results of an empirical study intended to determine how CRSC relates to the established sustainable consumption attitude–behaviour gap. Guided by the insight gained from these results, we proceed with exploring a broader, multidimensional conceptualisation of CRSC by synthesising research from a variety of domains and perspectives. Our hope is that this exploration will inspire additional dialogue about the nature of CRSC, as well as enable development of a more refined scale to enable subsequent research. We believe that this, in turn, will promote future research and inform practice as our collective understanding of this important consumer construct continues to evolve.