Why Sustainable Consumption Does Not Catch On in Norway

On December 11^th, Daniel Hanss defended his doctoral thesis, entitled Explaining Sustainable Consumption: Findings from cross-sectional and intervention approaches.

High political ambitions and disappointing results

Ever since the term sustainable development was coined by the so called “Brundtland Commission” in the 1980s, Norway has played an important role in promoting efforts to foster sustainable development.

The Norwegian sustainable development strategy partly relies on individual consumers to take responsibility, by purchasing environmentally friendly products. However, recent data indicate that Norwegians are less inclined to do so than consumers in many other European countries.

What may keep consumers from purchasing sustainable products, such as ecological and fair trade foods?

Daniel Hanss set out to answer this question when he moved from Germany to Bergen to work on his PhD project in 2008, at the Department of Psychosocial Science. He was motivated by his professional background and his personal interest in sustainability:

– My background is in marketing research. I used to work for private marketing institutions as a research consultant. In order to enhance my research expertise I decided to do a PhD in the field of consumer psychology. Sustainable development has long been an interest of mine. That’s why I chose this topic for my research, says Hanss.

Few incentives for sustainable consumption

One barrier for purchasing sustainable products is that they are often more expensive than conventional alternatives. Another barrier is that it requires the joint efforts of many people to make a significant difference, and therefore individual consumers may feel that their own purchase decisions have little impact on sustainable development.

Another problem is a lack of public awareness about the issue:

– In Norway, individuals are politically expected to make sustainable choices. Part of the problem is that many consumers have no intrinsic motivation to do so. In addition, there is a communication issue. There is very little exchange between politicians and consumers, so each group expects the other to act. People generally remain uninformed about sustainable products, because they trust the authorities to ensure that what they find in the supermarkets are up to the standards of sustainability, says Hanss.

Daniel Hanss’ goal was to shed light on some of the psychological factors that motivate people to purchase sustainable products, despite existing barriers. In particular, the project investigated whether people’s values, time perspective, and beliefs in their personal ability to make a difference can explain why some people purchase sustainable products while others do not. 

– The traditional view in the field of economics is that people are rational and self-interested actors. However such a view cannot serve to explain why some people do pay more in order to consume sustainably. In my research, I needed alternative perspectives on this issue, which I found in collaborative works by economists and psychologists, indicating that factors such as social values play a significant role, says Hanss.

Online studies

Hanss and his colleagues conducted two online studies among consumers in Bergen. The results of the first study showed that people who purchase sustainable products tend to be more concerned with the well-being of other people, and think more about the long-term future consequences of their actions than people who purchase sustainable products less frequently.

Those who purchase sustainable products more frequently were also more likely to believe that they can personally contribute to sustainable development. Particularly, the belief that one’s own behaviour will encourage other people to do the same was linked to the purchasing of sustainable products.

The results of the second study showed that consumers can be encouraged to purchase sustainable products by means of information campaigns that point out how individuals can contribute to sustainable development directly, through their own behaviour, and indirectly, through encouraging other people to join in.

Changing perceptions through information campaigns

Hanss gives credit to a campaign initiated by a supermarket chain in Norway, which has recently lowered prices on ecological products, thereby creating awareness and consumer demand.

However he emphasises that it would be unwise to rely on the private sector and price strategies alone. Instead, he thinks such initiatives need to be coupled with campaigns that increase people’s intrinsic motivation to contribute to sustainable development:

– We see that the belief that the individual can influence other people to act sustainably is a strong motivator. Another solution could be to describe sustainability issues on a smaller, local level, where people feel they have an actual impact through their actions, says Hanss.

In this manner he believes that his findings can inform policy makers and non-governmental organizations that are active in promoting sustainable development:

– You can use the results to develop effective campaigns to promote sustainable consumption and to identify the consumer group to target in such campaigns. The NGO Framtiden i våre hender (The Future in Our Hands) has invited me to give talks on this subject, says Hanss, who plans to continue such public outreach in the future.

This article includes segments from Daniel Hanss’ press release announcing his doctoral defense.