Talk | Behavioral spillover in the circular economy: The importance of consumer goals

The Center for Consumer, Markets and Politics | CCMP, the Chair of Social & Economic Psychology and the taskforce sustainable ZU invite to a talk (in English) by John Thøgersen, professor of economic psychology at Aarhus University, Denmark, currently visiting ZU.

John has been interested to understand the dynamics of sustainable consumption patterns for about 25 years and if people buying sustainable products would go one step further or would think they have done already enough (positive or negative spillover effect). He will present his latest research based on a paper that is currently under review by Journal of Environmental Psychology.

We got used to source-separate our waste and reuse products and materials in Europe. However, in order to make the economy truly circular, consumers need to buy used products or products with recycled materials (i.e., circular products). Some consumers resist circular products, assuming lower quality, while others value them for being environmentally friendly.

In his talk, John will analyse if the more consumers recycle, the more inclined they are to also buy circular products, and vice versa, and if that this behavioural spillover is mediated through strengthening the goal of waste reduction. To test these hypotheses, he carried out a survey in Copenhagen and Lisbon.

After the presentation will be room for discussion and your questions on sustainable consumption and behaviour.