Consumer Behavior and Sustainable Consumption in Economic Theory

Introduction

Economic theory is built on the assumption that human needs are unlimited and resources are scarce. In order to meet these unlimited needs for many years, production and consumption have been made by ignoring the scarcity of natural resources. Today's economic systems, which started to be shaped by the industrialization process, encouraged consumers to consume irresponsibly and unconsciously, by suggesting that they should not settle for less and have more. The production and consumption structure envisaged by these systems has increased its influence especially in the second half of the 20th century, causing many ecological problems to emerge. In other words, humanity has used resources as much as possible in order to produce more, consume more and earn more, and it has caused the pollution and destruction of nature. It has been realized that it will not be possible to sustain the increase in growth and development with these consumption habits for many years, and it has been evaluated that the change has become a necessity. In other words, the limited natural resources used to meet the unlimited needs of people at this point made it necessary to harmonize the environment and the economy.

Humanity, which did not attach sufficient importance to the environmental issue for many years, started to notice and take into account ecological problems from the beginning of the 1970s, with the increasing environmental problems. In the literature that started to emerge in this period, the existing economic approach was questioned and it was stated that a new economic understanding should be developed that did not disturb the functioning of the ecological system. At this point, there has been a transition from the economic understanding focused on maximum growth to the idea of sustainable development. As one of the most fundamental components of these sustainability discussions, the “sustainable consumption” approach comes to the fore. Sustainable consumption is a form of consumption that is based on the use of the world's resources within the limits of sustainability and seeks ways to minimize the damage to natural life. In other words, it is the consideration of environmental concerns in consumption. The way to leave a livable world to future generations will be possible by focusing on how economic activities such as the selection, use and disposal of products and services can be carried out in a way to gain social and environmental gain.

The aim of this study is to discuss sustainable consumption from the perspective of economic theory and to examine it within the framework of consumer behavior. Although sustainability is a concept that economics has brought to the interdisciplinary literature, the sustainable consumption approach has been discussed more intensively in other disciplines and has not been adequately addressed in the context of economic theory. In this respect, this study makes an important contribution to the literature by processing sustainable consumption from the perspective of economic theory. This study is structured in seven sections in line with the stated purpose. After this general introduction, which is the first section, consumption, consumer and consumer behavior are examined in the second section. In the third section, the consumer society and sustainability approach are discussed. In the fourth section, the sustainable consumption approach is shared. In this section, sustainable consumption is examined with its definition, scope, process and actors. In the fifth section, consumer behaviors in sustainable consumption are discussed. In the sixth section, the causes of failure in sustainable consumption and solution suggestions are examined. In the conclusion part, which is the seventh section, a general evaluation is made by making a summary.