The purpose of the scientific article is to present the development of the Sustainable Household Consumption Index (HSCI). The index is based on existing data of reputable institutions, which provides a broad insight into all three dimensions of sustainability in 28 EU countries for the years 2005 and 2010. HSCI is a composite index developed in accordance with statistical principles based on the use of parallel analysis to select the appropriate number of factors and factor analysis for calculating weights. In both years, the HSCI tops the Scandinavian and Benelux countries, while the Baltic States, Romania and Bulgaria are at the bottom. The explanatory power of the HSCI confirms the link between the Index and GDP per capita. The analysis brings the new and the first statistically developed tool for empirically simultaneous monitoring of changes in sustainable household consumption.
COBISS.SI-ID: 1850510
Based on the critical review of existing measures of sustainable development and sustainable consumption, in this scientific monograph we establish that despite the clear need for an appropriate and balanced macroeconomic indicator which would allow international benchmarking, there is in fact no aggregate macroeconomic measure to simultaneously follow the changes in the environmental, social and economic aspects of household sustainable consumption. The main contribution of the monograph is in the development of such a measure or index, named HSCI. In this work, the development of the HSCI is described in details and methodologically grounded. The results of the index calculation for 28 countries of the European Union in 2005 and 2010 are also presented. Special emphasis is given to sustainable consumption in Slovenia, which experienced the worst deterioration in rank among all countries in the studied period.
COBISS.SI-ID: 293334016
The motivations and actions of socially responsible consumers are important for the success of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The issues of responsible consumption or consumer social responsibility (CnSR) nevertheless continues to receive insufficient research attention. To remedy this shortcoming, we built on the value-belief-norm theory (VBN) and propose that normative factors induce consumers to enact CnSR in their buying behaviour. Using a survey of 462 consumers, we examined the relationships between values (self-transcendent and self-enhancement), an individual's view on the importance of CSR, awareness of negative societal consequences, ascribed responsibility for prosocial behaviour, personal norms, social norms, and CnSR. The findings indicate that CnSR can indeed be comprehensively explained with the variables included in VBN. Moreover, social norms also tend to significantly shape CnSR. The theoretical and practical implications of our results are discussed.
COBISS.SI-ID: 24739814
Our society has been marked by mounting discourses on the necessity of sustainable and environmentally friendly food consumption, as sustainability problems regarding food systems will likely become more severe inthe future. Hence, calls have been made for more research on consumer behavior with respect to organic food consumption. Using a survey of 462 adults in a European Union country, this study investigates the role of past behavior in determining several consequences in the context of organic food consumption. The relationships among past organic food consumption, attitudes, environmental concern, personal norms and organic foodbuying intentions are examined. The results reveal that past organic food consumption positively affects atti-tudes toward buying organic food, personal norms and buying intentions. In addition to past consumption, attitudes and personal norms are also significant antecedents of organic food buying intentions. The total effect of past behavior on the intention is the strongest compared to other antecedents. The study also discusses the implications of the findings and identifies areas for future research.
COBISS.SI-ID: 24989414
The aim of this chapter is to explore sustainability research and findings in Slovenia, including Slovenia’s paths toward sustainable future on three different levels: situational or macro-level, transformational or mezzo-level and action formation or micro-level. Changes towards sustainability can only be made through the interaction of all levels. Besides the economic situation, both environmental and social dimensions are also important parts of sustainability. Slovenian consumers tend to be aware of sustainability issues and have formed positive attitudes about this concern, which is also reflected at the macro level-indices, indicating Slovenia’s sustainable position compared to other countries in Eastern and Southern Europe. Some sustainability guidelines, albeit not necessarily systematic activities, are adopted by companies and thus are moving the Slovenian economy forward in this area. This chapter can serve as a basis to develop some general pointers of how sustainability in Slovenia can be further addressed and developed.
COBISS.SI-ID: 24125926