Browsing by Subject "vastuullinen kuluttaminen"

Responsibility and responsible consumption can be seen as one of the trends in consump-tion these days. The definitions and experiences of responsibility are diverse and extensive which can affect the actual consumption habits. The purpose of this study is to analyze what kinds of ideas consumers have about responsibility and what they consider as responsible consumption. The study also examines factors that influence consumption decisions. In addition, the study aims to explore how consumers' efforts to consume responsibly and their actual consumption behavior differ from each other. The method applied in this study is qualitative and the data was collected through interviews. Before participating in the interview the participants had kept a consumption diary in which they had written down forty products they had purchased. In the interview, these products were used as stimuli, on the basis of which the discussion about responsibility took place. Nine young adults between the ages of 24 and 35, who all are employed, participated in the study. The material was analyzed using material-based content analysis. The results of the study indicated that the key responsibility factors were the locality of the products, necessity, durability, recyclability, healthiness, and the animals’ and workers’ conditions. The basis of responsible consumption was considered to be needs-based consumption, which is based on the information about how to consume responsibly. According to the results of the study, the most significant factors behind the consumption decision were money, product characteristics such as taste and quality, and locality. The decisions were also influenced by factors that strongly rely on responsibility, such as preventing food waste and reducing meat consumption. Also, the decisions were guided by the interviewees' own preferences, habits, and needs. The study also showed that responsibility was considered important and the general experience was that responsibility is realized moderately in one's own consumption. However, money, ignorance, and own habits were felt to be the biggest obstacles to more responsible consumption.