Sustainable consumer behaviors: revisiting and integrating mainstream theories

Abstract

Promoting sustainable consumer behaviors (SCBs) is currently at the center of the sustainable development agenda. This thesis, which includes three papers on SCBs, provides added value to sustainability management and marketing literature by criticizing mainstream theories and introducing an alternative model to guide consumer policy and behavior change aimed at motivating, facilitating, and maintaining sustainable behaviors over time. In the first paper, we examine the concept of motivational imbalance and provide the first evidence on its ramifications on sustainable choices. The second paper explores and theorizes the effects of exposure to television cooking shows on consumer food waste from the lens of cultivation theory. The third paper provides a basis for a new theory of sustainable motivation. In this paper, we introduce a testable and generalizable multi-stage model that applies to a wide range of sustainable behaviors in various business contexts. Just as importantly, each paper concludes by discussing the main implications for research and practice, as well as defining avenues for future research.