Sustainability and the consumer-citizen\u27s consumption consciousness

The sustainability imperative is likely to have a profound influence on marketing practice and theory (Kotler, 2011). Sustainability garners much attention from academics, governments, businesses, and non-governmental organizations. Much of this attention focuses on the role of governments and businesses in fostering sustainability through public policy and corporate social responsibility. For instance, in the public policy arena, governments encourage and sometimes mandate more sustainable options through education, incentives, legislation, and taxes. Meanwhile, businesses are urged to manage the triple bottom line of economic, environmental, and social responsibility. Nevertheless, the problems associated with unsustainable consumption continue to grow, and greater attention must be paid to the role of consumers (e.g., Kotler, 2011; Prothero et al., 2011)