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Handbook of Research on Sustainable Consumption

Handbook of Research on Sustainable Consumption

Edited by Lucia A. Reisch, Professor, Copenhagen Business School and John Thøgersen, Professor, Aarhus University, Denmark
This Handbook compiles the state of the art of current research on sustainable consumption from the world’s leading experts in the field. The implementation of sustainable consumption presents one of the greatest challenges and opportunities we are faced with today. On the one hand, consumption is a wanted and necessary phenomenon important for society and the economy. On the other, our means of consumption contradicts many important ecological and social long-term goals. Set against this background, the Handbook aims to offer an interdisciplinary overview of recent research on sustainable consumption, to draw attention to this subject and to encourage discussion and debate. In 27 chapters, leading authorities in the field provide their expertise in a concise and accessible manner.

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Extent: 480 pp
Hardback Price: $230.00 Web: $207.00
Publication Date: 2015
ISBN: 978 1 78347 126 3
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Paperback Price: $65.00 Web: $52.00
Publication Date: 2017
ISBN: 978 1 78643 927 7
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  • Economics and Finance
  • Behavioural and Experimental Economics
  • Economic Psychology
  • Environment
  • Ecological Economics
  • Environmental Geography
  • Environmental Sociology
  • Geography
  • Environmental Geography
  • Human Geography

More Information

The implementation of sustainable consumption presents one of the greatest challenges of our era. Consumption is a wanted and necessary phenomenon, integral to our society and economy, yet our way of consuming contradicts important ecological and social long-term goals. Although research on sustainable consumption has gained in importance and been addressed by various disciplines, this original new book is one of the few to compile and summarize the important research findings.

Against this background, the Handbook of Research on Sustainable Consumption provides an interdisciplinary overview of recent research on the ecological and social obstacles we face through over consumption, drawing attention to the salience of the subject and stimulating discussion in this area. In 27 chapters, leading authorities in the field provide concise and accessible expertise, covering a wide range of approaches from psychology to economics.

This collection will be a useful point of reference for students, researchers and policy makers seeking a wider understanding of the state-of-the-art of sustainable consumption research.

Critical Acclaim

‘The implementation of sustainable consumption presents one of the greatest challenges of our era. . . In 27 chapters, leading authorities of the field provide accessible expertise, covering a wide range of approaches from psychology to economics.’
– Hans W. Micklitz, Journal of Consumer Policy

Contributors

Contributors: G. Antonides, C. Baatz, J.W. Bolderdijk, H. Chappells, M.A. Cohen, M.J. Cohen, H. Dagevos, W.J. Fellner, C.J. Fitzmaurice, M. Friman, T. Gärling, K. Gram-Hanssen, W. Gwozdz, D. Hauptstock, E. Heiskanen, P. Hennicke, E.G. Hertwich, S. Lorek, M.G. Luchs, E. Matthies, R.A. Miller, O. Mont, S. Nitzko, C.L. Noblet, K. Ott, K. Peattie, A. Rasche, L.A. Reisch, D. Roy, G. Scholl, J.B. Schor, S. Shewmake, C.L. Spash, A. Spiller, K. Steen-Olsen, L. Steg, P.C. Stern, C.R. Sunstein, M.F. Teisl, J. Thøgersen, F. Trentmann, A. Tukker, M.P. Vandenbergh, M. Vérain, P.J. Vergragt, B. Verplanken, L. Voget-Kleschin, H. Wallis, A. Warde, D. Welch

Contents

Contents:

Research on Sustainable Consumption: Introduction and Overview
Lucia A. Reisch and John Thøgersen

Part I: RESEARCH IN SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AS AN INTERDISCIPLINARY AND TRANSDISCIPLINARY APPROACH
1. Sustainable Consumption as a Systemic Challenge: Inter- and Transdisciplinary Research and Research Questions
Sylvia Lorek and Philip J. Vergragt

2. Breaking the Stalemate of Sustainable Consumption with Industrial Ecology and a Circular Economy
Oksana Mont and Eva Heiskanen

Part II: MAJOR APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION
3. Sustainable Consumption in History: Ideas, Resources and Practices
Heather Chappells and Frank Trentmann

4. Environmental Psychology and Sustainable Consumption
Linda Steg

5. Theories of Practice and Sustainable Consumption
Daniel Welch and Alan Warde

6. Sustainability Marketing
Ken Peattie

7. Ethics and Sustainable Consumption
Lieske Voget-Kleschin, Christian Baatz and Konrad Ott

Part III: DIAGNOSTIC RESEARCH—METHODS AND MEASUREMENTS
8. Life Cycle Assessment as a Means to Identify the Most Effective Action for Sustainable Consumption
Kjartan Steen-Olsen and Edgar G. Hertwich

9. Priorities for Sustainable Consumption Policies
Arnold Tukker

Part IV: TRANSPORT, HOUSING, FOOD AND PUBLIC HEALTH
10. Unsustainable Travel Becoming (More) Sustainable
Tommy Gärling and Margareta Friman

11. Housing in a Sustainable Consumption Perspective
Kirsten Gram-Hanssen

12. Peak Meat: The Role of Meat in Sustainable Consumption
Achim Spiller and Sina Nitzko

13. Flexitarianism: A Range of Sustainable Food Styles
Muriel Vérain, Hans Dagevos and Gerrit Antonides

14. Obesity, Sustainability and Public Health
Wencke Gwozdz

Part V: CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES
15. Consumer Habits and Sustainable Consumption
Bas Verplanken and Deborah Roy

16. Consumer Responsibility for Sustainable Consumption
Michael G. Luchs and Rebecca A. Miller

17. Family Socialization and Sustainable Consumption
Ellen Matthies and Hannah Wallis

Part VI: POLICIES FOR SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION
18. Carbon Triage: A Strategy for Developing a Viable Carbon Labelling System
Sharon Shewmake, Mark A. Cohen, Paul C. Stern and Michael P. Vandenbergh

19. Eco-Labelling as Sustainable Consumption Policy
Caroline L. Noblet and Mario F. Teisl

20. Behavioural Economics, Consumption and Environmental Protection
Cass R. Sunstein

21. Promoting Sustainable Consumption: The Risks of Using Financial Incentives
Jan Willem Bolderdijk and Linda Steg

22. Voluntary Standards as Enablers and Impediments to Sustainable Consumption
Andreas Rasche

23. Step Across The Border–Knowledge Brokerage for Sustainable Consumption
Gerd Scholl

Part VII: FUTURE DIRECTIONS
24. Decoupling Resource Consumption and Economic Growth: Insights Into an Unsolved Global Challenge
Peter Hennicke and Dorothea Hauptstock

25. The Role of Consumer Sovereignty in Sustaining the Market Economy
Wolfgang J. Fellner and Clive L. Spash

26. Collaborating and Connecting: The Emergence of the Sharing Economy
Juliet B. Schor and Connor J. Fitzmaurice

27. Toward a Post-Consumerist Future? Social Innovation in an Era of Fading Economic Growth
Maurie J. Cohen

Index