Sustainable consumption communication: A review of an emerging field of research
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In: Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 300, 126880, 01.06.2021.
Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Sustainable consumption communication
T2 - A review of an emerging field of research
AU - Fischer, Daniel
AU - Reinermann, Julia Lena
AU - Guillen Mandujano, Georgina
AU - DesRoches, C. Tyler
AU - Diddi, Sonali
AU - Vergragt, Philip J.
PY - 2021/6/1
Y1 - 2021/6/1
N2 - Communication plays an important role in promoting sustainable consumption. Yet how the academic literature conceptualizes and relates communication and sustainable consumption remains poorly understood, despite growing research on communication in the context of sustainable consumption. This article presents the first comprehensive review of sustainable consumption communication (SCC) research as a young and evolving field of scholarly work. Through a systematic review and narrative synthesis of N = 67 peer-reviewed journal articles, we consolidated the research conducted in this field into four distinct types: communication as an approach to (1) behavior change, (2) self-empowerment, (3) systems change, and (4) reflection on current discourses and practices around sustainable consumption. Our findings reveal that most journal articles focus on incremental changes in individual consumer behavior (“weak” sustainable consumption) and employ communication as an intervention tool with little reference to communication science and theory. They also reveal integration challenges arising from the disciplinary diversity and fragmentation characteristic of the research field. Future research should develop shared frameworks and terminology, diversify its foci, synthesize relevant evidence, and innovate critical perspectives that go beyond one-way business-to-consumer communication. The results of our review can serve researchers engaged in sustainable consumption communication to better systematize their efforts and contribute more effectively to changing systems of consumption in the future.
AB - Communication plays an important role in promoting sustainable consumption. Yet how the academic literature conceptualizes and relates communication and sustainable consumption remains poorly understood, despite growing research on communication in the context of sustainable consumption. This article presents the first comprehensive review of sustainable consumption communication (SCC) research as a young and evolving field of scholarly work. Through a systematic review and narrative synthesis of N = 67 peer-reviewed journal articles, we consolidated the research conducted in this field into four distinct types: communication as an approach to (1) behavior change, (2) self-empowerment, (3) systems change, and (4) reflection on current discourses and practices around sustainable consumption. Our findings reveal that most journal articles focus on incremental changes in individual consumer behavior (“weak” sustainable consumption) and employ communication as an intervention tool with little reference to communication science and theory. They also reveal integration challenges arising from the disciplinary diversity and fragmentation characteristic of the research field. Future research should develop shared frameworks and terminology, diversify its foci, synthesize relevant evidence, and innovate critical perspectives that go beyond one-way business-to-consumer communication. The results of our review can serve researchers engaged in sustainable consumption communication to better systematize their efforts and contribute more effectively to changing systems of consumption in the future.
KW - Communication
KW - Consumer behavior
KW - Consumer communication
KW - Marketing
KW - Narrative synthesis
KW - SDG12
KW - Sustainable consumption
KW - Systematic literature review
KW - Sustainability education
KW - Sustainability Science
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85103952165&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/cf0911b0-56f0-3bce-8cfa-236d0cceaf3a/
U2 - 10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126880
DO - 10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126880
M3 - Scientific review articles
AN - SCOPUS:85103952165
VL - 300
JO - Journal of Cleaner Production
JF - Journal of Cleaner Production
SN - 0959-6526
M1 - 126880
ER -