SuCoCom

Project title: Sustainable Consumption Communities to promote consumer participation/power of the consumer citizen.

Duration: May 2021 until April 2023

Project Supervision: Dr. Sven Kilian / Prof. Dr. Andreas Mann

Funding Institution: Bundesminis­terium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, nukleare Sicherheit und Verbraucherschutz (BMUV) within the framework of the funding guideline "Consumer Participation - Foundations, Practices and Instruments for Active Participation in Consumption, Society and Digitalization" of May 7, 2020

Summary: Global warming, increasing waste volumes and the relocation of production facilities to low-wage countries are just three of the main developments leading to considerable ecological and social problems. It is not only companies as providers of goods and services that are called upon to make a contribution to solving the problem within the framework of corporate social responsibility (CSR). For large sections of consumers, too, the aforementioned developments require a reorientation of their consumption style. Although many consumers have a positive attitude toward sustainable and ethical consumer behavior, in practice there is a considerable attitude-behavior gap at the point of purchase. A major reason for this is the small-agent feeling of individual consumers, which is expressed in the feeling that, as a single person, there is nothing they can do to change the circumstances.

This is where the present project comes in. It is to be investigated to what extent sustainability-related consumer associations, so-called Sustainable Consumption Communities (SCCs), remedy this problem and thus contribute to the promotion of sustainable and ethical consumer behavior as well as consumer participation in the push for sustainable development. The aim of the project is to identify any facilitating and inhibiting factors for consumer participation in SCCs as well as the impact potential of SCCs on sustainable and ethical consumer behavior. In addition, action tips for the design and successful "marketing" of SCCs are to be provided in the form of a tool box.

• Kilian, S. & Mann, A. (2023). Consumer associations as a new service concept to promote sustainable consumption - conceptual foundations and empirical findings. In Bruhn, M. & Hadwich, K. (Eds.), Designing Change in Service Management, Volume 2: Customer Perspective - Provider Perspective - Employee Perspective (pp. 113-137). Springer Fachmedien, Wiesbaden.
• Mann, A., & Kilian, S. (2023). Sustainable Consumption Communities - Relevance and Acceptance. Marketing Review St. Gallen, 40 (2), 18-26. pdf