Sustainability Current Events: Consumer Behavior

Ashley Uyeta 

Sustainability, eco-friendly, going green, phrases we've all heard in the past few years more regularly. Climate change is a huge issue in our society, one that requires active change all around the world in order to save our planet. As resources are being depleted as we grow as a society, there has been a call to action: to be more sustainable. Of course, we all want to reduce our footprints and save our planet. So why haven't we all become more sustainable?

It's easy to say that we would make those changes, but there has been plenty of significant research that shows that while consumers express that they want to lead more sustainable lives, their intentions never make it into actions. Our society is so indoctrinated within our ways, that making these changes are not as easy as we think they are. Now is the time for companies to start integrating more environmentally-friendly products, but because their sales don't match that idea, they continue on their way with their traditional, conventional ways. There are all of these pre-conceived notions and stigmas around sustainable products, even the word sustainable draws negative emotions from consumers. So how do we fix that?

A Harvard Business Review article, The Elusive Green Consumer, talks about ways to narrow the "intention-action gap" through consumer behavior aspects. It elaborates on ways to motivate, inspire, and influence the way organizations and individuals can learn to choose environmentally-conscious products and services. 

• Using social influence to shape good habits

People are influence by other people, that's how social norms are created. Social influence can go a long way, especially in a world where everyone wants to fit in, in some shape or form. From popular brands to not-so-popular brands, social influence can effect the way an individual selects and uses products or services. "...using "social norms" - informal understanding within a social group about what constitutes acceptable behavior. Scores of studies have shown that humans have a strong desire to fit in and will conform to the behavior of those around them" (White et. al., 2021). White and her colleague conducted their own study in Calgary, Alberta that showed social change with a little intervention. 

This study revolve around grasscycling, the process of leaving grass clippings to decompose on lawns rather than being collected to be taken to a landfill. This process not only reduced the amount of material being disposed of, but it has also has proven added benefits for your lawn! 

White and her colleague noticed that many people weren't adapting to the program, that the city was expecting. So they decided to step in, sending little messages to the residents, stating that most people, including their neighbors were grasscycling, and so should they. And just like that, within two week, about twice as many residents starting grasscycling compared to the controlled condition. It was amazing how many people switched to grasscycling that instantaneously because they thought other people were doing it too. Using the power of social influence can be an extremely effective way to evoke more environmentally-friendly behaviors, and can even be applied to the consumption of products. While social influence is good, it has to be done correctly. Gaining just a few followers or supports can lead to misconceptions of not be socially accepted of by larger groups. It has to be a joint effort between a company and people to create a wide-reaching approach to a more sustainable lifestyle. 

One thing about people, is that they are creatures of habit. Being exposed to more convenient  sustainable ways can break bad habits. If companies forced people to rethink and change their behaviors by taking away the convenience of waste, sustainability can become more adoptable. In some cases, we've embraced changes like these already. For example, on Western Washington University campus, they don't sell plastic water bottles, forcing students and professors to bring their own reusable water bottles. An easy fix for a widespread change.  So why not replicate this on a bigger scale? 

• Leveraging the domino effect 

Consistency and pushing forward is where we want to be. The more that a person is willing to make one change, the more likely they'll consider other changes that can be made to not only improve their lifestyle, but how green it is. "...people may begin with a single step - such as reducing household food waste - they often move on to act in other domains, such as energy conservation" (White et. al., 2021). The initial change of getting consumers on board with an eco-friendly ways of living is the hardest part, but once consumers have adjusted to making those changes and realize that it isn't as difficult or disruptive as it may seem, creates a positive cascade of low impact footprints. Hopefully, leveraging the domino effect will lead into a snowball of optimistic green, sustainable behavior. This will also make change for companies creating and promoting green products. The domino effect can help close the gap between intention and action, with the idea of an all-embracing society of change. 

• Favoring experiences over ownership

I think this point is by far my favorite point. These days, we are so wrapped up in the idea of owning material goods, when it doesn't necessarily benefit us. Favoring experiences over ownership is all about the experience economy, where consumers trade off material goods for experiences instead. "In addition to the potential sustainability benefits, research shows, giving an experience makes both giver and receiver happier, leads to stronger personal connections, and cultivates more-positive memories" (White et. al., 2021). Honeyfund, a company mentioned by White and her colleagues, allows for wedding gift givers to contribute to honeymoons, dinners, or other types of activities and adventures for the bride and groom. Instead of the traditional registries, friends and family can contribute to happy memories that the bride and groom create together. Honeyfund takes away the need to buy household goods for a new married couple, creating a service that provides something much more. 

Another great example of experiences over ownership is Uber. Almost everyone in the world is familiar with the company Uber and how it works. While Uber does use the convenience of a car, it allows for people to have access to one without having to own one. Instead of a consumer buying a car and having it sit idle for the majority of the day, using Uber will increase carpooling which means less cars on the road and less road congestion. There are, of course, some issues regarding regulation for companies like Uber, but the idea and concept provides the break through of popular, innovative design that can be more sustainable.  

These three points that I highlighted are very vague, overarching ideas, but it might give a little insight to why we do things the way we do and how we can change that for the better. While there's definitely more work that needs to be done in order to be a more sustainable society as a whole, these three steps can be used as a great guideline to propel use into a new, eco-friendly era. The idea is not to take away from the progress we have built as a society, but to grow in new modern ways. We want to leave the overabundance of waste in the past, and look forward to new ways to make the most out of everything we do, from the products and services we use to how we interact with our planet on a daily basis. There is no way to completely erase the footprints we've left behind, but a little can go a long way into regenerating our planet! 

References

White, K., Hardisty, D. J., & Habib, R. (2020, June 1). The Elusive Green Consumer. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved April 14, 2022, from https://hbr.org/2019/07/the-elusive-green-consumer