Consumer sustainability consciousness: a five dimensional construct

Abstract

This paper examines consumer triggers towards sustainable consumption behaviours, proposing Consumer Sustainability Consciousness as a new construct that allows us to understand what drives the conscious consumption of sustainable products and services, in an integrated "Triple Bottom Line" perspective. Consumer Sustainability Consciousness is proposed as a five-dimensional construct involving: Sense of Retribution; Access to Information; Labelling and Peer Pressure; Health Issues; and Crisis Scenario. The proposed construct was defined using the C-OAR-SE procedure and measured and validated using both Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis. As a result, a 19-item scale is proposed to measure Consumer Sustainability Consciousness; theoretical and practical implications of the study are also discussed.