Emotional Capital traced the trajectory to understand the connection between sustainable consumption and customers’ impulsive behavior, revealing an increasing frequency of publications post-2010, indicating a burgeoning field at the intersection of sustainable consumption and impulsive buying behavior.

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The first two publications related to my research appeared in the International Journal of Consumer Studies. In 2012, this journal dedicated its March issue to exploring sustainable consumption. The issue, curated by Carola Grebitus, opened with the crucial question “What is sustainable consumption?”—a reflection of academic focus at the time. This edition featured a variety of perspectives on eco-friendly practices in fashion, agriculture, waste control, and food.

The first article based on Verain et al.’s (2012) research on sustainable food consumer segments was ranked among the top 40 most popular articles in the International Journal of Consumer Studies out of 2,088 published from 1977 to 2020.

The second, Süle’s article (2012), focused on whether consumers can develop a conscious approach to sustainability, challenging “oppressive marketing techniques.”

A few months later, Pereira Heath and Chatzidakis  (2012) responded with their work “Blame it on Marketing’: Consumers’ Views on Unsustainable Consumption,” calling attention to consumers’ roles in promoting sustainability, arguing that consumers must take sustainable responsibility.

Authors delve into consumer attitudes towards excessive consumption and their perception of it being an environmental problem, marketing’s role, and personal responsibility.

The study highlights the unawareness of ecological consequences, attributing responsibility to marketing, potentially hindering consumers’ part in consumption.

They concluded that surveyed consumers often do not accept personal responsibility for excessive consumption or acknowledge their impact on the environment, raising concerns given the high educational level of their research sample.

Dermody et al. (2021) highlighted that in certain countries like Sweden, 81% of the population views climate change as a significant global issue, with personal responsibility at 57% (the highest in Europe), positively impacting ecological and human well-being. Kalaniemi et al. (2020) asserted that achieving environmental sustainability requires reducing consumption, significant lifestyle changes, and technological innovations.

An increasing number of researchers are concentrating on a particular intersection that investigates customers’ responsibility for impulsive behavior within sustainable consumption studies.

Spiteri Cornish (2020) believe companies should be held accountable for influencing a buying behavior that can be detrimental to consumer well‐being.

Unlimited economic development involves addressing social concerns, while sustainable development requires fundamental changes in the behavior of governments, private institutions, and individuals.

Lorek and Fuchs (2013) emphasized that sustainable consumption involves consumption patterns relevant to industries, governments, and households.

According to Liu et al. (2017), changing household consumption patterns is widely recognized as essential for achieving sustainable consumption.

Nguyen et al. (2019) stresses that consumers are active participants and must take responsibility for a sustainable planet. Prior academic research supports the view that most individuals in the developed world consume beyond sustainable levels.

However, Pereira Heath and Chatzidakis (2012) found that many consumers do not perceive their actions as significantly impacting the environment.

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For inspired researchers:

Dermody, J., Koenig-Lewis, N., Zhao, A.L. and Hanmer-Lloyd, S. (2021) ‘Critiquing a Utopian idea of Sustainable Consumption: A Post-Capitalism Perspective’, Journal of Macromarketing, 41(4), pp. 626–645 Available at: 10.1177/0276146720979148.

Kalaniemi, S., Ottelin, J., Heinonen, J. and Junnila, S. (2020) ‘Downscaling consumption to universal basic income level falls short of sustainable carbon footprint in Finland’, Environmental Science & Policy, 114, pp. 377–383 Available at: 10.1016/j.envsci.2020.09.006.

Liu, Y., Qu, Y., Lei, Z. and Jia, H. (2017) ‘Understanding the Evolution of Sustainable Consumption Research’, Sustainable Development, 25(5), pp. 414–430 Available at: 10.1002/sd.1671.

Lorek, S. and Fuchs, D. (2013) ‘Strong sustainable consumption governance – precondition for a degrowth path?’, Journal of cleaner production, 38, pp. 36–43 Available at: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2011.08.008.

Nguyen, T.D., Dadzie, C.A., Chaudhuri, H.R. and Tanner, T. (2019) ‘Self-control and sustainability consumption: Findings from a cross cultural study’, Journal of international consumer marketing, 31(5), pp. 380–394 Available at: 10.1080/08961530.2019.1576152.

Pereira Heath, M.T. and Chatzidakis, A. (2012) ”Blame it on marketing’: consumers’ views on unsustainable consumption’, International Journal of Consumer Studies, 36(6), pp. 656–667 Available at: 10.1111/j.1470-6431.2011.01043.x.

Spiteri Cornish, L. (2020) ‘Why did I buy this? Consumers’ post‐impulse‐consumption experience and its impact on the propensity for future impulse buying behaviour’, Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 19(1), pp. 36–46.

Süle, M. (2012) ‘Can conscious consumption be learned? The role of Hungarian consumer protection education in becoming conscious consumers’, International Journal of Consumer Studies, 36(2), pp. 211–220 Available at: 10.1111/j.1470-6431.2011.01085.x.

Verain, M.C., Bartels, J., Dagevos, H., Sijtsema, S.J., Onwezen, M.C. and Antonides, G. (2012) ‘Segments of sustainable food consumers: a literature review’, International Journal of Consumer Studies, 36(2), pp. 123–132.