Sustainable Consumption Research and the Role of Marketing: A Review of the Literature (1976–2021)

Murtaza Haider, Randall Shannon and George P. Moschis
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Murtaza Haider: College of Management, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
Randall Shannon: Center for Research on Sustainable Leadership, College of Management, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
George P. Moschis: Center for Research on Sustainable Leadership, College of Management, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-36

Abstract: There is a causal relationship between existential dangers to our biosphere and our unsustainable consumption practices. For more than three decades, academics and researchers have explored ideas to make consumption practices sustainable. Still, a practical and widely accepted solution to the problem is missing. This review aims for a theoretical and structural understanding of the literature to identify future avenues for marketing, to explore and increase its contribution to consumption sustainability research. The review used bibliometric and integrative review methods to synthesize knowledge. The review found that sustainable consumption research has proliferated since 2015, indicating a heightened interest in the field. There are four major schools of thought in sustainable consumption research, employing three interdependent micro, meso, and macro levels of analysis to understand consumption practices. By focusing on individual consumption behaviors, this review recommends that consumption sustainability be repositioned as a means of attaining a better quality of life for consumers. It involves reforming the consumer mindset toward progress based on pro-social and pro-ecological choices, training consumers in mindful consumption practices, and providing them with an infrastructure for consuming with a mindful mindset. It is recommended that marketing should refine itself as a pro-social discipline, with consumer well-being as its primary goal, and to become a leader in reshaping quality of life in terms of non-financial standards.

Keywords: sustainable consumption; bibliometric review; integrative review; quality of life; mindfulness mindset; mindful 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 (8)

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