Bridging Theory and Practice in Sustainability Marketing

Éditeurs invités

• A. R. Shaheen Hosany, Hult International Business School
• Seongsoo Jang, Cardiff University

Synthèse

The environmental crisis is reshaping how people consume, yet a persistent gap exists between consumers' stated sustainability values and actual behaviour. Marketing research must move beyond measuring intentions to understanding how sustainability is enacted in real-world contexts, where affordability, convenience and competing priorities constrain behavioural change.

This special issue seeks research examining the intersection of sustainability theory and practice, particularly studies exploring lived experiences of sustainable consumption and marketing's role in enabling meaningful behavioural change. The issue welcomes conceptual, qualitative, quantitative, experimental and mixed-methods contributions that connect rigorous theoretical development with real-world sustainability challenges and generate actionable implications for businesses, policymakers and communities.

Thèmes proposés

• Consumers, everyday practices and sustainability transitions: How climate vulnerability reshapes consumer identities, aspirations, lifestyles and consumption practices; role of social influence, norms and communities; consumer willingness to sacrifice and pay for sustainability; emergence of repair, reuse, sharing and non-consumption
• Firms, brands, innovation and circular consumption: Translating sustainability theory into products and services; designing feasible and affordable sustainable practices; marketing strategy for repair and circular consumption; systemic change beyond individual responsibility
• Sustainability, inequality and systemic transformation: Moving beyond individual behavioural change to systemic transformation; distribution of sustainability transition costs; inequalities in capacity to participate; marketing contributions to policy design
• Digital technologies, marketing communications and behavioural change: Role of digital technologies, AI and platforms in sustainable consumption; social media and influencers shaping sustainability perceptions; digital marketing facilitating behaviour change without manipulation; creating conditions for sustainable behaviour
• Real-world evidence, experimental research and new methodological approaches: Transaction and behavioural data revealing actual consumption; causal impact of sustainability marketing interventions; natural experiments from environmental disruptions; data-driven discovery and theory development; mixed-methods approaches integrating qualitative and quantitative analysis