What We Know: Understanding Sustainable Consumption, Barriers, and Drivers

Ludovica Serafini () and Alessandro M. Peluso ()
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Ludovica Serafini: University of Salento
Alessandro M. Peluso: University of Salento

Chapter Chapter 2 in Inside the Green Mind, 2026, pp 7-34 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This chapter provides a structured review of the literature on sustainable consumption, with a specific focus on behavioural barriers and drivers. It synthesizes findings from environmental research, consumer research, psychology, and marketing to show that most studies disproportionately focus on low-impact, low-effort behaviours. In this chapter, we categorize barriers to highlight how these factors jointly limit the adoption of high-impact sustainable actions, as well as drivers that can empower consumers and lead them to the necessary transformation in their lifestyles. By mapping what is currently known, the chapter identifies key blind spots in existing research and motivates the need for empirical investigations that move beyond symbolic behaviours and address transformative choices.

Keywords: Sustainable behaviours; Barriers; Drivers; Psychology; High-impact behaviours (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-032-18596-9_2

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-18596-9_2

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