Melbourne Business School - Theses
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ItemSymbolic meanings of green consumption practices among young environmentalists( 2012)This thesis explores green consumption practices among young environmentalists in an Australian city. It argues that subjective experiences and socially constructed symbolic meanings of green consumption practices explain how and why young environmentalists engage in green consumption practices in connection with the emerging green consumer movement. This thesis aims to extend theoretical underpinnings of green consumption by postulating a theoretical framework of symbolic meanings of green consumption practices. This framework is built on an investigation of what consumers do when they engage in green consumption as opposed to antecedents of intentional green consumption. The main research problem was articulated as: In relation to the emerging green consumer movement, what symbolic meanings of green consumption practices are shared among young environmentalists in Australia? Symbolic meanings of green consumption were investigated by adopting an interpretive approach and using photo-elicited in-depth interviews with young environmentalists. A skeletal theoretical framework guided the investigation, which was built on several sensitising concepts including meanings of green consumption, ways of engaging in green consumption practices, consumer identity expressions, and social connections and differentiations through engaging in green consumption practices. The postulated theoretical framework of the thesis is built on several thematic categories: 1) green consumption seen as keeping an eye on producers and sellers, 2) “naturally greened” personal habits, 3) emotional affiliations with green procurements, 4) green prosumers to replace commodities, 5) empowered and shared consumption: signs of the connection with the emerging green consumer movement, challenging the dominant social paradigm, 6) redefined environmental paradigm, 7) unperceived local risk of climate change, and 8) I, we, and others in the emerging green consumer movement. This thesis concludes that the meanings of green consumption practices among young environmentalists are built on having needed to disassociate from the dominant market systems and mainstream consumer practices of presumably green-ignorant mainstream consumers. The young environmentalists seek alternative and enjoyable means of consumption while taking part in the emerging green consumer movement. Positive connotations seem to be more prominent among the environmentalists’ green consumption practices than negative connotations such as limiting, restricting or controlling consumption or imminent, local danger of climate change. This leads to the formation and expression of green consumer identities through social connections and differentiations. This thesis has potential implications for developing theoretical underpinnings and methodological approaches of green consumption, designing promotional campaigns of green consumption practices among young consumers, and for the future research on green consumption.