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Discursive Confusion over Sustainable Consumption: A Discursive Perspective on the Perplexity of Marketplace Knowledge

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Abstract

This paper works towards a discursive, practice-based perspective on explaining the “knowledge-to-action” gap observed in the consumer policy literature on sustainable consumption. Based on an empirical study that focuses on fashion and clothing markets, the objective is to elaborate on the nature and implications of the discursive polyphony that consumers face when striving for more sustainable consumption practices. Overall, it is concluded that part of the gap can be attributed to the discursive confusion that arises from a simultaneous existence of multiple, continuously changing and partly clashing discourses of sustainable consumption as well as the associated discursive struggle that consumers need to deal with when trying to make sense of their roles and responsibilities in sustainable development.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Economics, Department of Communication, Aalto University, P.O. Box 21210 AALTO, 00076, Helsinki, Finland

    Annu Markkula & Johanna Moisander

Authors
  1. Annu Markkula
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  2. Johanna Moisander
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Correspondence to Johanna Moisander.

Appendices

Appendix 1

Table 1 Participant profiles
Full size table

Appendix 2. Elicitation Materials

figure a

Extracted from the Finnish Consumer Agency’s web site (www.kuluttajavirasto.fi, 10 Oct 2007). Originally published in Finnish.

figure b

Extracted from the Helsingin Sanomat’s web site (www.hs.fi, 10 Oct 2007). Originally published in Finnish.

Appendix 3. Interview Guideline

Interview session start: Inform participants about research aims and confidentiality. Explain the interview format (participants hoped to speak freely and only a few pre-designed questions).

  1. 1.

    Opening question: “Could you tell me about your fashion and clothing consumption?”

  1. 2.

    General themes to be covered (general fashion and clothing consumption):

    • Fashion phenomenon/phenomena: “What do you think is fashion? What does it mean if something is in fashion?”

    • Favourite shopping places: “Where do you go for clothing shopping?”

    • Brands: “What about brands? Are brands important to you?”

  1. 3.

    Themes to be covered with the help of elicitation material:

    • Consumption, fashion phenomena, and the fashion system: “What kind of ideas these cartoons bring to your mind?”

      • Cartoon (A): A woman in a shop, selecting trousers, with the caption: “Thin pants: The hottest thing since wide pants”

      • Cartoon (B): A woman coming home from a shopping spree, saying to a man sitting in the living room reading a newspaper: “I’m feeling good about myself again!”

      • Cartoon (C): A fashion magazine editor sitting behind her desk with two trays, entitled: “Totally in” and “SO last season”

    • Ecological and ethical issues: “What kind of ideas this cartoon/story/guide brings to your mind?”

      • Cartoon (D): Two dogs at the entrance to a flea market, one saying to the other: “I think I’ll skip this particular market”

      • News story “Clothing chains did not excel in an ethics survey”

      • Shopping guide “Guide for eco-shoppers”

  1. 4.

    Closing the session: “Are these some issues that you would like comment upon a bit further? Is there something else that you would like to add?”

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Markkula, A., Moisander, J. Discursive Confusion over Sustainable Consumption: A Discursive Perspective on the Perplexity of Marketplace Knowledge. J Consum Policy 35, 105–125 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10603-011-9184-3

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