5e. Sustainable consumption and consumers
Track Chairs:
Roberto Merli. Department of Business Studies, Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy roberto.merli@uniroma3.it
Maria Claudia Lucchetti. Department of Business Studies, Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy mariaclaudia.lucchetti@uniroma3.it
Goals and objectives of the track
Sustainable production and consumption has been recognized as an integral part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and can be defined as "the use of services and related products, which respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life while minimizing the use of natural resources and toxic materials as well as the emissions of waste and pollutants over the life cycle of the service or product so as not to jeopardize the needs of further generations".
Sustainable consumption is an umbrella term that brings together several key issues, such as meeting needs, enhancing the quality of life, improving resource efficiency, increasing the use of renewable energy sources, minimizing waste, taking a life cycle perspective and taking into account the equity dimension.
In this context understanding consumers behavior, attitudes and preferences is critical to guiding society towards a more sustainable consumption. This goal is no less important than reducing production environmental, social, and economic impacts.
Changing consumption pattern requires governments engagement and policy developments put in place to encourage sustainable consumption. Consumers are increasingly concerned about these issues, and is therefore a duty of governments to protect consumers from misleading information on sustainability in areas such as labelling, advertising and corporate reporting. New forms of consumption are arising, and their implementation requires a switch in customer value proposition and a radical change at societal and institutional level, to accompany consumers toward a functional service economy, unlinked from individual ownership.
Given this year's conference theme of "Actions for a Sustainable World: from theory to practice" contributions should advance theory and outline implications for consumers, marketers, policy-makers, or other stakeholders.
This track explores the implications of achieving sustainable production and consumption through the multidisciplinary approach to sustainable production, consumers behavior and preferences, sustainability labels, sustainable lifestyles, and their connections to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Areas and potential topics in which contributions are sought include:
- SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
Sustainability product policies and future development; Clean technologies / cleaner production;
Sustainable product design, Eco-Design of products / Design for sustainability; Decoupling and dematerialization; Eco-innovation: Innovation in environmental goods and services; Integrated product policies; Internalization of environmental and social costs; Eco-efficiency; Incentives for development and acquiring of sustainable products
- SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLES AND CONSUMER EDUCATION
Advances in Sustainable Consumption & Lifestyles; Consumer engagement and environmental communication; Sustainable Lifestyles and Education; Emergence of post-consumerist lifestyles;
Impact of the economic crisis on consumption practices; Social practices research related to sustainable consumption; Cooperating for increasing sustainable provisioning opportunities; Social innovation to facilitate sustainable consumption; De-growth as a pathway for sustainable consumption; Impact of Social movements on sustainable consumption
- INFORMING THE CUSTOMER: PRODUCT CERTIFICATION AND LABELLING
Consumers and stakeholders' information; Producer responsibility; Product environmental certification; Product eco-labelling and social labelling; Sustainable Public Procurement; Ethical investment and consumption; Marketing and sustainable consumption; Analysis of consumer preferences and attitudes
- SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION OPPORTUNITIES
Consumption and sustainable cities; Sustainable/Smart Cities and Communities; Sustainable Building and Construction; Sustainable Food Consumption and Food Waste Prevention; Sustainability and the transformation of agro-food systems; Sustainable Tourism, including ecotourism; Sustainable mobility
- NEW FORMS OF CONSUMPTION
Performance economy; Sharing Economy; Collaborative consumption; Product-As-Service; Product-Service-Systems and their implication for sustainable consumption
- MEASURING SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
Carbon and water footprint; Life cycle thinking, Life Cycle Assessment, Life Cycle Costing, Material flow analysis, Social life cycle assessment; Product and services sustainability indicators
You may submit your abstract by visiting the Ex Ordo abstract submission system (you will be required to setup an account first): http://isdrs2018.exordo.com
Deadline for abstracts: 30 November 2017 7 January 2018
