Consumerism, sustainable consumption, and consumer citizenship in the Indian context

Abstract

The 20th century witnessed a surge in global economic activities, which propelled the growth of the consumer movement. Unfortunately, this also results in the overconsumption of natural resources, endangering the sustainability of society, the economy, and the environment. Consumption-oriented market-driven marketing practices encourage unsustainable production and consumption. Consumers must protect their rights in the marketplace without negatively impact the resources of future generations. Consumption patterns in the market lead to depletion of societal resources. All human consumption-related activities impact the environment; therefore, it is necessary to change consumer values and lifestyles to ensure that consumption leads to sustainability. Changes in consumers’ attitudes, behaviors, and lifestyles towards the environment lead to sustainable consumption. A consumer citizen is a consumer who is conscious of society and the environment and purchases products with no adverse consequences. In this regard, this conceptual study proposes consumer citizenship as a tool for addressing both consumer protection and sustainable consumer issues. Data were collected from secondary sources. This study is limited to the Indian context when dealing with consumer protection laws and regulations. The paper concludes that consumer awareness and active participation are needed for a sustainable future, and consumer citizenship can be a better solution to encourage sustainable consumption.

Keywords

• Consumer protection
• consumer citizenship
• green marketing
• greenwashing
• sustainable consumption
• Business, Management and Accounting