Concise Introduction to Sustainable Consumption

This Concise Introduction brings together expertise from consumer psychology and behavioural economics and systematically reflects on the drivers of unsustainable as well as sustainable consumption. Thgersen gives a comprehensive overview for an interdisciplinary readership. He starts with evidence regarding the unsustainability of current consumption patterns, discusses the most relevant psychological models to understand consumption, and then gradually widens the focus to the societal context of consumption and the structural changes needed for the promotion of sustainable consumption patterns. -- Ellen Matthies, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Germany This short volume synthesizes research on the environmentally significant behaviors of individual consumers, drawn largely from psychology and behavioral economics. It offers readers from outside these fields useful insights into what shapes these behaviors and how they might be changed by applying research-based knowledge. -- Paul C. Stern, Social and Environmental Research Institute, US Pressures on the planetary boundaries are caused by the types and levels of consumption in affluent societies. Based on 35 years research experience, Professor of Economic Psychology John Thgersen has written an outstanding and scholarly book analysing antecedents, consequences, and countermeasures. The book should be read by everyone concerned about environmental issues. -- Tommy Grling, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

John Thgersen, Professor of Economic Psychology, Department of Management, Aarhus University, Denmark

Contents: Preface 1. Introduction to sustainable consumption: from the Brundtland Commission to acknowledging the importance of the demand-side 2. The (un)sustainability of consumption patterns. 3. Basic psychological drivers of unsustainable consumption. 4. Social norms and (un)sustainable consumption 5. Psychological and social drivers of sustainable consumption 6. Human limitations and unsustainable consumption 7. The importance of the context 8. From single actions to a sustainable consumption pattern 9. Promoting sustainable consumption 10. Summary and conclusions