Professor Janine Dermody

This paper investigates the connections between harmonious cultural values, pro-environmental self-identity and consumers’ sustainable consumption behaviours spanning acquisition, usage and disposal. It evaluates the relevance of Chinese cultural values that purport harmony between humans, nature and society i.e. man-nature orientation and horizontal/vertical dimensions of individualism-collectivism. The results from the online survey with 503 urbanised Chinese reveals these values disparately influence this consumption. Despite the limited direct behavioural effect of these harmonious values, pro-environmental self-identity plays an important role in mediating their indirect effects on the five behaviours. This paper therefore extends theorisation of the values-identity-behaviour relationship from a cultural-values orientation perspective. It offers new insights to understand urbanised Chinese consumers sustainable consumption behaviours. 

Complex agroforestry systems are suggested as a possible solution to reduce the effects of deforestation in the tropics while enhancing the livelihoods of local human populations. Coffee (Coffea spp.) is one of the most important commodity crops in the world that can easily be cultivated in complex agroforestry systems. Coffee agroforestry systems usually sustain higher biodiversity levels than sun-exposed fields while keeping similar levels of productivity considering the several benefits of growing coffee under a complex system. We aim to explore the richness and abundance of invertebrates in coffee home gardens in West Java, Indonesia by comparing 14 sun-exposed and 14 shade-grown gardens. We collected data in March/April 2019 via pitfall traps, pan traps, and beating tray in each field. We ran generalised linear models to assess whether the number of species and the number of individuals of insects differed between sun-exposed vs. shade-grown coffee gardens, and tested associations between main taxa. Overall, there was no difference in the richness (sun-exposed: 19.86 ± SE1.19; shade-grown: 19.71 ± SE1.19; Z-value = 0.12, p value = 0.904) and abundance (sun-exposed: 141.93 ± SE 3.18; shade-grown: 139.93 ± SE3.16; Z-value = 0.35, p value = 0.706) of invertebrates in coffee gardens, although taxa specific differences were present. Sun-exposed fields had a higher abundance of invertebrates considered as pests (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae, Ectobiidae; Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Lycidae and Tenebrionidae; Diptera: Anisolabididae, Drosophilidae and Sarcophagidae). Camponotus spp. were the most dominant ants in shade-grown gardens while Dolichoderus spp. and Myrmicaria spp. were more abundant in sun-exposed gardens. Despite the fact that sun-exposed coffee fields registered higher abundance of invertebrate pests than shade-grown coffee fields, the richness of invertebrates did not substantially vary between sun-exposed and shade-grown coffee, suggesting that the matrix of gardens offers advanced ecosystem services. It is important to keep the complexity of agroforestry systems that provide key habitats for biodiversity.

China's industrialization is reshaping its younger age generation toward increased materialism and social visibility. This is problematic because materialistic social status consumption can undermine a deeper commitment to sustainability. We evaluate this phenomenon by examining sustainable consumption buying in China, through the theories of crossvergence (valuing modernization) and stickiness (valuing traditions). Specifically, we examine the moderation effects of Chinese age generations, in three socio‐historical periods, on this sustainability behavior. Namely, the post‐50/60s consolidation, post‐70s revolution, and post‐80s social reform age generations. Utilizing an online panel survey (n = 981), we investigated the direct and indirect effects—via pro‐environmental self‐identity—of materialism, social consumption motivation, and environmental concern on these generations sustainable buying behaviors. Importantly, we found the positive direct effect of materialism on sustainability buying was significantly higher for the younger post‐80s cohort, in contrast to the post‐50/60s and post‐70s generations. Social consumption was higher among the post‐80s and post‐70s generations. Environmental concern was insignificant for the post‐80s but a significantly higher influence on the post‐70s generation. This suggests a new younger consumer generation is emerging, who in juxtaposition to current notions of consuming sustainably, appear to mix materialism and sustainability together to consume as green materialists. We have named this consumer group “enviro‐materialists.” These enviromaterialists raise important questions about the currently under‐researched generational underpinnings of sustainable consumption and the macrosystems within which this takes place. We propose interconnected governmental and corporate marketing interventions. These have potential to increase the sustainability behaviors of China's enviro‐materialists, while reducing their materialism.

The ecological and societal problems caused by product obsolescence and consumerism in modern economies constitute a ‘wicked human‐made problem’ of significant magnitude. Current (old) ways of thinking cannot address these problems. Accordingly, in this paper, we critically explore the novel idea of integrated personhood and worldviews to theorise research on self‐repairers and their repair behaviours to extend product lifetimes. We conducted a structured and systematic review of published work (n=183) to identify the conceptual content of the field to inform our theorisation. Our findings highlight three key issues. Firstly, constricted theorisation undermines understanding of self‐repairers and their product lifetime extension (and spillover) behaviours. Secondly, the underlying conceptual complexity is typically underestimated. Thirdly, the dominance of voluntarist and deterministic studies impedes new directions in research. From our review, an integrated worldview‐personhood framework emerges that can deepen understanding of avant‐garde self‐repairers’ engagement with product lifetimes.

This paper proposes and critiques the idea of a post-capitalism sustainable consumption utopia to improve the ecological and human wellbeing of the planet. Such a notion can stimulate new imaginative thinking on a future sustainable world not dominated by neoliberalism. It can also strengthen SDG-12: responsible consumption and production. To do so, it examines the influence of pro-environmental self-identity, market-based barriers, and knowledge barriers on sustainable consumption buying, product lifetime extension, and environmental activism. Survey data was collected via online panels in Sweden (n=504) and the USA (n=1,017). Richly varied and complex findings emerge supporting the merit of this utopian idea. In particular, the importance of pro-environmental self-identity. This study illustrates how the post-capitalism notions of radical incrementalism and people power can initiate change using the civic, political, and environmental activism in sustainable consumption behaviours. Emerging implications for the viability of SDG-12 are also considered. This work offers rich opportunities for further research.

In this paper, we respond to the call for more holistic and culturally diverse research to advance understanding of (non)sustainable consumption behaviour. Our conceptual model incorporates materialism, environmental concern, social consumption motivation, pro-environmental self-identity and sustainable consumption behaviours. This paper contributes to knowledge by examining the mediating role of pro-environmental self-identity to more fully explain consumers’ (non)sustainable consumption behaviour. An international online panel survey was employed in the UK (n = 1037) and China (n = 1025). Findings show that pro-environmental self-identity partially or fully mediates the relationships between materialism, environmental concern, social consumption motivation and sustainable consumption behaviours. Important cultural differences also emerged, for example, the positive effect of materialism on Chinese consumer’s sustainable consumption, which is contrary to Western evidence. We suggest bolder, culturally informed and more reflexive marketing strategies are needed to significantly advance sustainable consumption, thus effectively helping to redress the crisis facing our planet.