From theory to practice: A study on sustainable consumption practices among university students in a region of Peru

Abstract

Objective: In recent years, sustainable consumption has been promoted in order to preserve natural resources for present and future generations. In that sense, the objective of this research was to evaluate sustainable consumption practices in university students in the Amazon region of Madre de Dios, Peru. Method: The approach was quantitative, the design was non-experimental and the type, cross-sectional descriptive-comparative. The sample was made up of 357 students who answered the Questionnaire on Socially Responsible Sustainable Consumption Practices, an instrument with adequate levels of validity and reliability. Results: It was found that sustainable consumption practices of 46.8% of the students were not common, 35% were unusual and 18.2% were common. On the other hand, it was determined that sustainable consumption practices and informed purchase dimensions, responsible use, respect for people and animals and quality and territoriality were significantly associated with some sociodemographic variables. Conclusions: It was concluded that sustainable consumption practices in university students were not common, therefore, universities are suggested to implement environmental education in a transverse and integral way to concretize sustainable development objectives.