Mainstreaming Sustainable Consumption
Practices, Perspectives, and the Case of Food
Time: Fri 2025-09-26 14.00
Location: Kollegiesalen, Brinellvägen 8, Stockholm
Video link: https://kth-se.zoom.us/j/62231942246
Language: English
Subject area: Sustainability studies
Doctoral student: Vishal Parekh , Strategiska hållbarhetsstudier
Opponent: Professor Anna Davies, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Supervisor: Docent Åsa Svenfelt, Strategiska hållbarhetsstudier, CKS, Linköpings universitet; Docent Greger Henriksson, Strategiska hållbarhetsstudier
QC 20250630
Abstract
Many of the grave threats facing life on Earth can be connected to the unsustainable consumption of resources by the wealthier parts of the world. Sweden is not only a wealthy country, but one with an international reputation as a forerunner in terms of sustainability. However, the per-capita consumption of resources by private households in Sweden is fundamentally unsustainable, not least when it comes to the key area of food consumption.
In order to achieve a sustainable consumption in Sweden, the ways most of us go about our daily lives today must change drastically, especially when it comes to how and what we eat. In other words, sustainable ways of doing things – sustainable consumption practices – need to become the new mainstream.
Against this backdrop, this thesis aims to explore the potential roles and perspectives of different societal actors in processes of making sustainable consumption the mainstream in Sweden, especially when it comes to eating practices. Based on the notion that a sustainable consumption meets everyone’s needs without exceeding ecological boundaries, the theoretical approach is grounded in social practice theory and concepts of power and recognitional justice. The main methods used are interviews, an intervention study, workshops, and questionnaires.
The thesis consists of a cover essay and five appended papers. Papers A and B give particular attention to exploring different perspectives on what sustainable consumption is and could be in the future. In Paper A, differentsocioeconomic groups envision sustainable consumption futures, whereas in Paper B, different types of sustainable consumption practices are explored.
In focusing on food consumption specifically, Papers C, D, and E mainly address the roles of different actors in the mainstreaming of sustainable eating practices. Paper C explores households’ agency in a transition to sustainable food consumption, as well as what they consider to be the necessary roles of other actors in society to enable such a transition. Papers D and E then explore the roles and perspectives of two such types of actors: civil society organizations and food provisioning actors, respectively.
While Papers A and B demonstrate that there exist perspectives and ways of thinking about sustainable consumption that challenge dominant framings, Papers D and E indicate that many strategies nonetheless tend to be framed in these dominant and conventional ways, thus relying on measures aimed at individuals’ attitudes, behavior, and choices. In comparison, Paper C shows that such measures are insufficient and ineffective, since significant efforts are required even of households that are relatively privileged in terms of finances, knowledge, and commitment, etc.
A general conclusion, then, is that to challenge dominant narratives of what sustainable consumption is and should be in the future, careful attention needs to be paid to issues of recognitional justice and power in how sustainable consumption is conceptualized and envisioned. Additionally, a greater level of coordination is required between actors in civil society and the private and public sectors in order to mainstream sustainable consumption practices, especially when it comes to eating practices. While households are not powerless in this process, the structural factors that limit the mainstreaming of sustainable consumption are mainly under the influence of larger actors.