Consumers Practicing Sustainable Consumption: Value Construction in Second-Hand Fashion Markets

Jenny Yi-Chen Han () and Susanne Sweet ()
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Jenny Yi-Chen Han: Stockholm Environment Institute, SEI Asia
Susanne Sweet: Stockholm School of Economics

Chapter Chapter 9 in Sustainable Consumption and Production, Volume II, 2021, pp 171-193 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract The purpose of this chapter is to explore consumers’ ways of creating and interpreting value of second-hand clothing. By highlighting the cultural capital aspect of sustainable consumerism, the study is able to explore consumer motivation from a perspective that is related to the ways in which sustainable consumption enables or reflects certain social structures within consumption. We argue that, while participants claim they engage within second-hand markets primarily due to environmental motivation, the practice of second-hand shopping is one that is largely driven by gaining symbolic and cultural capital. These symbolic associations demonstrate that second-hand shopping is as much about responsible consumerism as it is about engendering concepts that transcend sustainability: individuality, authenticity, and distinction. Based on these findings, the chapter concludes with a discussion on potential barriers and opportunities in transforming towards more sustainable consumption practices.

Keywords: Sustainable consumption; Consumption practices; Valuation mechanisms; Second-hand fashion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-030-55285-5_9

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-55285-5_9

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