CLIMACT Seminar Series - Pia Furchheim & Christophe Barman
The CLIMACT seminar series “How to move forward and act on climate change” is an interactive online event. It takes place twice a month, every second Monday during your lunch break, with two new speakers. Each episode aims to strengthen the dialogue and collaboration between key UNIL and EPFL scientists, swiss politicians, entrepreneurs and various actors from the civil society, through collective reflection. A wide range of climate change-related topics will be discussed, integrating perspectives from all sectors and academic disciplines in order to generate new leads and initiatives towards systemic solutions. Participants are welcome to take part in the discussion in English or French.
Please note that this seminar is the last of this series. Exceptionally, it will take place 3 weeks following the last seminar, on Monday 13 June 2022.
Zoom link: epfl.zoom.us/j/63821341998
Why consumers not always walk their talk – Discussing reasons behind selective sustainable behavior
Presented by Pia Furchheim I Senior lecturer and researcher at the Institute of Marketing Management I Zurich University of Applied Sciences
Sustainability has arrived in the middle of society. More and more consumers try to be sustainable and consider sustainability as an important purchasing criterion. While the increased awareness is a positive trend, sustainable behavior does not translate into all areas of living/consumption. This resonates with the ongoing challenge of the so-called Attitude-Behavior Gap.
Despite its social and environmental relevance, sustainability is oftentimes limited to selected areas of life. While it is easy for us to be sustainable in some areas (e.g. food) and we are even willing to pay a premium price for the sustainable product, we find it more difficult to walk the talk in other areas (e.g. consumer electronics, travel).
The presentation aims to spark the discussion about how consumers make consumption choices and what role sustainability plays in various decisions. Considering that the consumption of products/services can offer multiple forms of value to the consumer (e.g. economic, social, hedonic, altruistic, etc.), one could approach the topic from a net-benefit point of view. When making decisions, we usually choose the option that promises the greatest benefit (e.g economic, social, hedonic, altruistic, etc.). Notwithstanding a consumer’s general attitude towards sustainability, the importance he/she ascribes to sustainability in different consumption situations might vary. This understanding is important for companies offering sustainable alternatives as it demonstrates that emphasizing sustainable features might be beneficial in some domains, while this approach might fail in other domains.
Comment consommateurs et producteurs doivent co-créer une économie plus responsable
Présenté par Christophe Barman I Président de la Fédération romande des consommateurs
Pour la Fédération romande des consommateurs, la production et la consommation durables sont l’un des enjeux et des défis majeurs d’aujourd’hui et de demain. L’action des seuls consommateurs ne saurait toutefois suffire à atteindre une empreinte climatique et environnementale minimale, ainsi qu’un impact positif de la consommation sur l’économie et la société : tous les acteurs du marché doivent en effet prendre leurs responsabilités. Les consommateurs ont certes des devoirs, mais leur aptitude à faire changer l’offre par leurs choix – ce que l’on nomme «consomm’action» – a ses limites, car l’alternative durable n’est pas toujours disponible ou possible. La production doit ainsi se transformer et l’offre du marché s’adapter pour permettre un choix durable. Des mesures incitatives sont également indispensables. Un élément d’autant plus important qu’un grand nombre d’études ont largement documenté la différence résidant entre les intentions d’achat des consommateurs et leurs achats effectifs, particulièrement dans le domaine de la durabilité. Dans ce contexte, Christophe Barman abordera différents enjeux autour d’une économie durable et donnera quelques exemples concrets d’actions de la FRC sur le terrain.
CLIMACT