Beyond the Green Consumer: Paradoxes In Sustainable Consumption

Contemporary environmental governance heavily relies on the concept of the "ethical consumer" to drive sustainability transitions. However, sociological research consistently demonstrates that individual attitude changes rarely translate into systemic environmental benefits. This session critically examines the complex, often paradoxical relationship between consumption patterns and sustainability imperatives.

Consumption is fundamentally a social, relational, and institutional practice rather than a purely individual choice. It is bound by social stratification, cultural capital, infrastructure, and the systemic demands of growth-oriented capitalism. This session explores how sustainable consumption is shaped and negotiated.

We invite empirical, theoretical, and methodological papers that disrupt conventional marketing and psychological frameworks of "green choice". We especially welcome studies that interrogate how consumption practices reproduce inequalities or offer genuine pathways toward socio-ecological transformation.