Ethical Pro-Environmental Self-Identity Practice: The Case of Second-Hand Products

Saleh Md Arman and Cecilia Mark-Herbert
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Saleh Md Arman: Sustainable Development, Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden
Cecilia Mark-Herbert: Department of Forest Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 4, 1-18

Abstract: As part of sustainable development, more attention is being placed on consumer behavior. Revised economic models have resulted in an understanding of the need for a circular economy. In this perspective, the consumer is not merely the buyer of the product but also a seller in consumer-to-consumer (C2C) activities, here referred to as re-commerce. In this qualitative study, researchers conducted in-depth interviews of 32 respondents from two countries who had second-hand product trading experience on Facebook. The study uses thematic content analysis to analyze the themes of ethical pro-environmental self-identity (PESI) practices in the respondents’ everyday lives. In this study, challenges relating to understanding conditions for fruitful re-commerce are framed in a social practice theory. Focus is placed on ethical pro-environmental self-identity in the context of selling or buying products in Bangladesh and Sweden. The contributions of this study relate to consumer perspectives on what enables re-commerce for six selected product categories. The study also points to the importance of social media and context-bound differences between product groups as well as individuals in two national contexts.

Keywords: circular economy; consumer behavior; ethical consumption; emerging economy; ethical PESI practice; pro-environmental self-identity (PESI); re-commerce; responsible consumption (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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