Understanding Motivations for Individual and Collective Sustainable Food Consumption: A Case Study of the Galician Conscious and Responsible Consumption Network

Abstract

Although consumer attitude towards sustainable food has increased over time, scientific research suggests that more profound comprehension is needed of the social and psychological dimensions that condition consumers’ willingness to purchase food items produced in a sustainable way. The current study attempts to understand the individual motivations that drive conscious consumption, in both the individual and collective spheres, expressed through joining a local social innovation in the food domain. A multi-method design was used, which combined participatory observation, document analysis, and twenty-six in-depth interviews with members of eight local food consumption initiatives located in the Galician region (Spain). The findings reveal that sustainable food purchasing is driven by the individual’s motivation to maintain a healthy diet, pro-environmental and social values, environmental awareness, and attachment to Galician rural areas. Concerning motivations underlying people’s willingness to engage in conscious and responsible consumption initiatives, the first reason relates to the fulfilment of basic needs (affordability and accessibility to organic, low-carbon, and fair-trade goods), followed by sociopolitical goals and the aspiration to satisfying social and psychological needs such as the need for connectedness or the desire for autonomy and control over one’s purchasing decisions.

Sustainable Consumption and Environmental Change in Taiwan: Understanding Consumer Perceptions and Narratives of Practice

“…Through a multi-method design, which incorporated participatory observation, document analysis, and in-depth interviews with members of eight local food consumption initiatives in the Galician region of Spain, a study discovered motivations for sustainable food purchasing that included a desire to consume a healthy diet, pro-environmental and social values, environmental awareness, and feeling a connection to Galician rural areas. The study reported that motivations for participating in conscious consumption initiatives are influenced by basic needs (i.e., affordability and accessibility of organic, low-carbon, and fair-trade goods), sociopolitical goals, and social and psychological needs (e.g., connectedness, autonomy, and control over purchasing decisions) [34].…”

The usefulness of mobile applications in shaping responsible consumption

“…It is recognized that the cause of the global environmental crisis is people's resource-intensive lifestyles. As one of the most important factors of poor health and environmental degradation in the world, the food system is indicated, wherein, for example, the food sector is responsible for about 30% of the total energy consumption in the world and about 22% of total greenhouse gas emissions [Lema-Blanco et al, 2023]. Therefore, the fight against the environmental and social problems faced by humanity requires, above all, a change in the consumption system and raising consumer awareness, because their purchasing decisions are not only one of the causes for these problems, but also a way to solve them [Palacios-González et al, 2020].…”