Introduction
In this reflective piece, I will draw focus on my own behavior regarding sustainable consumption. I chose myself because I thought I would easily be able to explain my own sustainable consumption. However, in reality, this has been a difficult process. I believe this is due to the fact a majority of my purchasing behavior occurs on an automatic/ subconscious level. For example, when I purchase a new clothing item it is often not due to necessity, it is usually inspired by an advert appearing whilst I am scrolling through social media. I then click on the post and add it to my basket as if I am on autopilot. For this reason, not many of my purchases are made with the intention to be sustainable. Duffett has argued that “Social media has become an indispensable part of life in the modern-day era, especially among young consumers known as Generation Z”. As a member of Gen Z, I agree that social media has grown to become the single biggest influence on my consumption. Over the last few years, I have insisted on becoming more sustainable and conscious of the impact we have on the planet. However, my consumer behavior has not changed significantly due to a building pressure instigated by social media to maintain my self-image. In my reflection, I will be addressing the impacts of Hedonism, Self-image, and Choice architecture on my consumption. I will then finalize by addressing whether an increase in awareness and brand transparency would encourage me to become a more sustainable consumer.
Purchasing motivation
The study of motivational research is not new. In the 20th century, Ditcher (Fullerton, R.A., 2007) had the view that consumers are often not strictly rational. He followed Freudian notions that many consumers' behavior is the result of an unconscious and emotional process (Tadajewski, M., 2010). I disagree with Ditcher that my consumption is irrational, however, I do agree with his notion that emotions play a strong role in my behavior. For example, I often indulge in the cliché of ‘retail therapy’. Many of my impulse buys are purchased to make myself feel better on a day when I am upset or stressed. It is also not uncommon for me to ‘treat myself’ on days that I feel I have been particularly successful. When I am making these purchases, I do not rationally consider logistical factors such as the product’s longevity and sustainability. However, these products are often made with active consideration of whether the product will be approved and awed by my social group. In retrospect, I can see many of my purchases could be labeled as hedonistic. Scholars Gabriel and Lang concluded that hedonistic purchases result from one partaking in ‘instant gratification, pleasure… and wasteful consumption’ (Gabriel, Y. and Lang, T., 2015). In Zohaib Razzaq’s work he notes that because of these traits, hedonistic consumers are the ‘least likely to engage in pro-environmental behavior or sustainable consumption’. I can understand this thought process, however, in my experience, hedonism has led to some sustainable choices. This is due to the link between my existing hedonism and choice architecture, particularly priming.
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Priming is a vital tool in choice architecture which can feed a person’s hedonistic desire to gain pleasure and social status. Priming is apparent across all advertisements and campaigns which aim to unconsciously nudge the consumer towards a particular behavior through the use of different stimuli (colors, slogans, sex, etc). Priming often occurs on a wide scale. It does not just influence one individual at a time, it can affect a whole generation. In recent years there have been numerous campaigns that have intended to promote the importance of sustainability. These industries and brands have sold me the importance of a sustainable lifestyle, which then feeds my hedonism. The result of this is that when I make a sustainable purchase, I feel valuable. I make the sustainable choice not because I feel particularly concerned about the planet but because I get to feel like I am part of a global cause and doing my bit. This need to fit in can be best summarised by Thorstein Veblen’s idea of ‘conspicuous consumption’ (Veblen, T., 2005). This is defined as the “practice of buying goods which will impress the social group to which the purchaser aspires” (Doyle, C., 2016).
In the last month, I have made the switch to buying my lip balm from Bert’s Bees. In an Instagram post, Bert’s Bees advertised their lip balms as natural ‘with responsible sourcing, no animal testing, and recyclable packaging’. The post triggered my hedonistic and conspicuous impulses and I purchased the products to make sure I would be able to appear sustainable and fit in within the movement. Ultimately, this purchase was self-serving rather than driven by morals or compassion alone. Nevertheless, when I received the product, I felt accomplished because I had gone out of my way to be sustainable. The product was brilliant therefore I did not experience cognitive dissonance and I have repeatedly purchased the product ever since.
Self – Image
The second factor that affects my consumption is self-image. Social media has become a pressing force that impacts the way I act and consume. Growing technologies have meant that it is easier than ever for me to be bombarded with brand messages and promotions. I am conscious that I am being sold too incessantly however it is almost unavoidable as I am captivated by my phone. I agree with Duffett, (R.G., 2017) when he says ‘Social media has become an indispensable part of life in the modern-day era, especially among young consumers’. Every day my own self-image is impacted by the brands I see. Levy (S.J., 1959) concluded that people bought products that symbolized themselves. He argued that products have meanings that inform their user's self-image. When I purchase a product, it functions as a tool for self-expression. I want to be seen as fashionable therefore I often buy whatever is 'trendy' at the time. Dittmar has called this attitude the ‘stereotype of modern consumerism “I shop therefore I am”’. Ultimately this school of thought impedes me from purchasing from sustainable or second-hand clothing stores and fuels me to partake in unsustainable fast fashion.
Goworek (et al., 2012, p. 938) have described sustainable clothing as ‘clothing which incorporates one or more aspects of social and environmental sustainability, such as Fair Trade manufacturing'. I would like to frequently purchase sustainable products however I have faced two main barriers. Firstly, fast fashion has meant that there is a rapid turnover of affordable “trendy” pieces (Sull, D., and Turconi). In my experience, places like Zara will have new items on their website every time I check. Second-hand stores and sustainable brands cannot keep up with fast fashion’s short shelf-life and thus I can never find pieces that reflect the fashionable self-image I am trying to express. In the past, I have tried to only purchase from sustainable retailers but the limited sustainable choice resulted in me feeling like I had missed out. My fear of missing out follows Scholars Byun and Sternquist’s (,)conclusion that sustainable consumption can ‘elicit a loss aversion reaction’ from consumers, as consumers prefer to avoid losing opportunities (missing out on trends) rather than pursuing an equivalent gain (finding an adequate sustainable alternative). The second barrier is the price. Fast fashion can produce a 'less for less' culture in terms of price and quality. Many of the everyday clothing items that I buy are from stores like Primark. A pair of jeans from Primark will not last any longer than a couple of months due to the poor quality. However, when buying clothing, price is an important consideration for me and Primark is only a fraction of the price of other retailers. Therefore, I feel ok with the idea of replacing the items frequently and I enjoy the freedom of staying up to date with what I am wearing. This is a common opinion, Lwanow found 30% of American shoppers placed price as more important than ethical issues. People usually have a budget in mind when they shop and sustainable fashion brands are often priced considerably higher due to the costs of monitoring the supply chains and higher quality/ more complex fabrics. Roberts (1996) concluded that consumers are not willing to pay a premium for these green products as they consider them too expensive. These two barriers have made me feel like I have no option but to partake in unsustainable fast fashion to maintain my self-image. After conducting some research there may be ways to overcome these barriers in the future in order to lead a more sustainable life.
Future Sustainability
Clark (2008) argued that sustainable consumption is a complex process. He stated that popular brands should become more transparent and improve their supply chains and customs. In my example of Bert’s Bees above, I would not have made the sustainable choice if it was not for the brand promoting its transparency and sustainability efforts. Therefore, I believe if brands were made to be more transparent, I would have more insight into the brand to weigh up whether I should consume their products or make a more ethical choice. If a brand highlighted its transparency it would help me trust them. It would be more convenient for me to easily find sustainable options at the top of my mind. As a result, I would still purchase with consideration of hedonism and self-image however it would be easier to make sustainable choices that make me feel good about myself. In my own experience, a Fashion Revolution report (…) was pointed out to me at university which stated that H&M was top of the leaderboard for brand transparency regarding their ‘social and environmental policies, practices and impacts’. I am a frequent shopper at H&M so hearing this made me instantly feel good about my purchase. I would now choose H&M over a variety of other retailers purely as I am aware that they are a more sustainable brand.
Finally, awareness has been a key element encouraging me to try and live a more sustainable life. This is especially prevalent now. Currently, there are many campaigns amongst mainstream media (BBC…) raising awareness on the environmental effects of single-use face masks used to prevent Covid19. Thaler and Sunstein (2009) were correct when they argued you can use choice architecture to influence a consumer's choice purely on the way it is presented. I now use reusable face masks as I believe it is a good and expected choice. I believe the campaigns have been impactful as they have changed my idea of the social norm. Harris (…) highlighted that reshaping social norms is essential to ‘protect the environment and the well‐being of those used in the supply chain’. In wider society altering social norms to increase sustainability could be achieved through small policy and social interventions such as making recycling and textiles skills part of schools' curriculums (Harris, F).
Conclusion
In conclusion, as Ditcher has explained, my purchases are not strictly rational instead they are emotionally driven. My consumption is motivated by my need to fit in with my peers and follow the social norm. This need has developed due to the presence of social media. Social Media sets a standard for how one should consume and I feel as though I should rise to that standard to maintain my self-image. Due to increasing awareness and the impact of choice architecture, my generation is partaking more heavily in sustainable consumption. Therefore, as I engage in hedonic conspicuous consumption, I too am inspired to purchase more sustainably. Particularly with fashion, this is not an easy feat due to the lack of affordable options that reflect the fashionable self-image I am trying to express. Additionally, Sustainable Consumption can lead to lose aversion as fast fashion has a short shelf-life and I feel as though I would lose out if I had to wait for a more sustainable item. For me to be able to partake in sustainable consumption the price gap would have to be tightened between sustainable and non-sustainable items. Additionally, more awareness and brand transparency could lead to greater pressure to change social norms leading people to view sustainability as the only acceptable option.
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