Green Consumption Behavior and Environmental Sustainability Considerations

Introduction

The rapidly increasing world population, high rates of urbanization, changing lifestyles and consumer demands in many parts of the globe, affluence and over-consumption in some, poverty and under-consumption in still other markets, advances in science and technology which result in both a better life for us all, on the one hand, but environmental worries such as global warming, air pollution, depletion and pollution of natural resources, irresponsible deforestation, widespread desertification, toxic wastes, plant and animal species loss, on the other... These are only a few of the facts mankind is confronted with and may be worrying about to varying degrees in today’s world. Yet, if one thinks about tomorrow’s world, the concept of sustainability comes into scene which entails caring about the lives of future generations, as well.

The Global Development Research Center (GDRC, 2021) points out that there are over one hundred definitions of sustainability and sustainable development but that the best known belongs to the United Nation’s (UN) World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED). Accordingly, one may talk about sustainable development where it “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (WCED, 1987, p.24) and it is based on three fundamental pillars: Economic, social, and environmental (Purvis et al., 2019). While the economic dimension suggests a system of production which satisfies current levels of consumption without endangering future needs, the social dimension entails concepts like quality of life, education, community development, equal opportunity, cultural identity, accessibility, participation, empowerment, and institutional stability (Mensah, 2019). Last but not the least, the environmental dimension is concerned with the natural environment and its productiveness together with its resiliency to support human life (Mensah, 2019). Likewise, it addresses different issues such as global warming, energy consumption, water consumption, carbon emissions, the use of chemicals, waste minimization, and noise pollution (Erol et al., 2009). As such, it encompasses topics like resource management, habitat restoration and preservation, and environmental protection (Mensah, 2019). The foregoing implies that for sustainable development to take place, there is a need to have a coordinated development of nature, society, economy, and science and technology (Wang, 2022).

In the rather affluent parts of the world, overconsumption is one of the major factors contributing to environmental deterioration. This situation not only harms the natural environment but also the well-being of consumers and quality of life, in turn. Besides this, due to their huge population sizes, emerging economies of the world, be it China, India, or Brazil, put additional stress on the ecosystem. Hence, both the developed and the developing nations are urged to find ways so as to decrease and may be reverse the negative effects of their burden on the environment by promoting pro-environmental behaviors (Felix & Braunsberger, 2016). Likewise, the impact of firm activities on the environment has an utmost influence on people’s lives and well-being; their non-sustainable deeds have quite adverse effects, globally. When talking about firm activities, it should not be forgotten that the different technologies businesses use to produce goods and services both influence and are influenced by societies, substantially. Through technology, productivity, efficiency, and cost savings may be increased, product wastes and use of chemicals may be reduced, resources may be protected, and progress may be measured, analyzed, and tracked over time so as to help bring the impact of the industrial sector on the environment to a minimum level (Schwartz, 2021).

Given these facts, one might be tempted to think that it is the responsibility of governments and big corporations to deal with environmental issues because of their huge impact on the environment. Nevertheless, based on the studies of Grunert and Chen & Chai, conducted in 1993 and 2010, respectively, Chekima et al. (2016) point out that between 30 to 40% of environmental worsening is a direct result of individuals’ non-sustainable consumption. It is also stated by Wijekoon and Sabri (2021) that consumer household purchases are responsible for 40% of environmental damage.