The complexity of consumer attitudes towards sustainable alternatives

We need a systemic transformation of our way of life to limit climate change and stay within the planetary boundaries. Individuals play an important role in this transition, for example through their consumption choices. Consumers accepting and adopting sustainable alternatives over conventional products is crucial in creating market pull and driving widespread availability. However, green purchasing behaviour is very complex and influenced by a range of psychological and situational factors. In this dissertation, I took a multi-method and often descriptive approach to better understand the perceptions of and attitude towards two types of sustainable alternatives: bio-based plastic (Chapters 2-4) and a modular smartphone (Chapter 5). One of the ways I did this was by using a network approach that visualises people’s attitudes towards the attitude object or behaviour of intertest. Overall, this thesis demonstrates an apparent consumer demand for bio-based bottles and sustainable smartphones. Participants consistently had positive attitudes towards these products and indicated purchase intentions and a willingness to pay a price premium. However, they also displayed a general lack of knowledge about these sustainable alternatives. This research exemplifies the complexity of attitudes and perceptions towards sustainable alternatives, as a great variety of factors were related to purchase intentions. While this complexity is daunting, the fact that so many factors are relevant illustrates that there are many ways to reach the goal of more sustainable consumption.