A review of Defra's approach to building an evidence base for influencing sustainable behaviour

Eppel, Sara; Sharp, Veronica; Davies, Lee

doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2013.06.001

Cited by 24 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…For example, depending on the client, or the direction of the conversation, advice (e.g., to blow dry less, use dry shampoo, colour less, shampoo less often/use less product) could be framed in terms of protecting hair condition, reducing energy/ water bills, speed or being environmentally friendly. This result confirms the benefits of shifting discourse from PEBs to sustainable lifestyles as many PEBs may be carried out for non-environmental reasons (Defra 2011;Eppel et al 2013).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 72%

“…One key change since 2008 has been a shift in focus from 'pro-environmental behaviour' to behaviours that constitute a 'sustainable lifestyle,' This distinction reflects the insight that not all sustainable behaviours are motivated by environmental concerns, for example minimising resource use may be related to dislike of waste, need to save money etc. (Eppel et al 2013).…”

Section: Literature On Fostering Sustainable Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Applying Behavioural Theory to the Challenge of Sustainable Development: Using Hairdressers as Diffusers of More Sustainable Hair-Care Practices

Baden

Prasad

2014

J Bus Ethics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The challenges presented by sustainable development are broadly accepted, yet resource use increases unabated. It is increasingly acknowledged that while technical solutions may play a part, a key issue is behaviour change. In response to this, there has been a plethora of studies into how behaviour change can be enabled, predominantly from psychological and sociological perspectives. This has resulted in a substantial body of knowledge into the factors that drive behaviour change and how they can be manipulated to achieve desired social goals. In this paper, we describe a study that draws on this body of knowledge to design an intervention to drive behaviour change across the hairdressing sector, and by the process of diffusion, across the vast social networks of this occupational group to influence domestic hair-care practices. The intervention was successful: hairdressers indicated positive intentions to adopt more sustainable practices within their salons and pass them onto their customers. The customer survey (N = 776) confirms this: customers surveyed after their hairdresser attended the Green-Salon-Makeover intervention were significantly more likely to report that environmental issues had been considered in their salon visit and that they themselves would consider such issues in their hair-care practices at home than customers who were surveyed before the intervention.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 72%

Section: Literature On Fostering Sustainable Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

Applying Behavioural Theory to the Challenge of Sustainable Development: Using Hairdressers as Diffusers of More Sustainable Hair-Care Practices

Baden

Prasad

2014

J Bus Ethics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development also reported that the main obstacle to achieving the environmental goals of its member countries is city consumers. Many studies have also found that although innovations in policy, law and regulation have been achieved, sustainable consumption would not be realized if consumers did not change their consumption behavior [31]. Pelletier et al [30] found that in order to achieve sustainable consumption, efficient methods must be identified to encourage individuals to consume sustainably.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing More Insights on Sustainable Consumption in China Based on Q Methodology

Han

et al. 2015

Sustainability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:Being an important aspect of sustainable development, sustainable consumption has attracted great attention among Chinese politicians and academia, and Chinese governments have established policies that encourage sustainable consumption behaviors. However, unsustainable consumption behavior still remains predominant in China. This paper aims to classify consumers with similar traits, in terms of the characteristics of practicing sustainable consumption, into one group, so that their traits can be clearly understood, to enable governments to establish pointed policies for different groups of consumers. Q methodology, generally used to reveal the subjectivity of human beings involved in any situation, is applied in this paper to classify Chinese consumers based on Q sample design and data collection and analysis. Next, the traits of each group are analyzed in detail and comparison analyses are also conducted to compare the common and differentiating factors among the three groups. The results show that Chinese consumers can be classified into three groups: sustainable (Group 1), potential sustainable (Group 2) and unsustainable consumers (Group 3), according to their values and attitudes towards sustainable consumption. As such, Group 1 cares for the environment and has strong environmental values. They understand sustainable consumption and its functions. Group 2 needs more enlightenments and external stimuli to motivate them to consume sustainably. Group 3 needs to be informed about and educated on sustainable consumption to enable them to change their consumption behavior from unsustainable to sustainable. Suggestions OPEN ACCESSSustainability 2015, 7 14212 and implications of encouraging each group of consumers to engage in sustainable consumption are also provided.

show abstract

“…Finally, our approach helps present home practice research in a way that is more “policy ready.” Theories of practice and the geographies of household sustainability literature have the potential to redefine sustainability interventions significantly (Head et al., ; Keller et al., ; Strengers & Maller, ). Policy actors and change agents appear to recognise this potential, as evidenced by their commissioning of reports (e.g., Southerton et al., ) and co‐funding action‐based research projects to implement findings from social practices research (e.g., Defra using findings from Pullinger et al., ; see also Eppel et al., ). However, as became clear early in our research, policy stakeholders still question what “the offer” is, and how this body of work moves beyond current ways of framing policy problems to generate new approaches.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The water–energy–food nexus at home: New opportunities for policy interventions in household sustainability

Foden

Browne

Evans

et al. 2018

Geographical Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The nexus of water-energy-food (WEF) is as apparent at the household scale as it is anywhere else. We introduce the "Nexus at Home" as a starting point for exploring the dynamics of WEF resource use and household sustainability. Drawing on two research projects we focus specifically on domestic kitchens as a site where practices of cooking, eating, cleaning and disposing of waste come together. While these practices have long been targets for policy intervention, existing approaches draw on a limited range of perspectives from the social sciences. Reflecting on our work with four non-academic partners (Defra, BEIS, FSA, Waterwise), we consider how social practice and geographies of household sustainability research might be combined with the dictum of "nexus thinking" to re-imagine the framing of policy and intervention to reduce the resource intensity of everyday life. Synthesising existing "home practices" literature in the context of the "live" policy problems raised by our partners, we seek to provide clear guidance for intervening in kitchen practices. We draw on one topic which has not yet been the subject of social practices research: fats, oils and grease (FOG) going down the kitchen plughole and contributing to widespread sewer blockages.In doing so we document the sequence of interrelated food provisioning activities through which WEF is put to use in domestic kitchens and contributes to FOG blockages in sewers. We reflect upon the multiple ways these practices are shaped by the rhythms of daily life, dynamics within the home, wider cultural conventions, and infrastructures. This paper contributes to the nascent transdisciplinary research agenda of translating home practices research into wider conceptualisations of "intervention", with a specific orientation towards academic and non-academic stakeholders who are interested in influencing systems of sustainable consumption and production within, and across, the WEF sectors. K E Y W O R D Sdomestic practices, everyday practice, fats-oils-grease, household sustainability, policy interventions, water-energy-food nexus --

show abstract

A review of Defra's approach to building an evidence base for influencing sustainable behaviour

Cited by 24 publications

References 10 publications

Applying Behavioural Theory to the Challenge of Sustainable Development: Using Hairdressers as Diffusers of More Sustainable Hair-Care Practices

Applying Behavioural Theory to the Challenge of Sustainable Development: Using Hairdressers as Diffusers of More Sustainable Hair-Care Practices

Developing More Insights on Sustainable Consumption in China Based on Q Methodology

The water–energy–food nexus at home: New opportunities for policy interventions in household sustainability

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About