I do not own a car any more: An analysis of possessions’ disposal and changes in consumers’ identities

Abstract

This research aims to understand the process of cars' disposal, its context, its influences and its impacts on the meanings for consumers and their identities, as well as the new behaviours of these consumers when living without their car(s). We conducted, analysed and interpreted 20 in‐depth interviews with consumers that had previously owned at least one car and had no financial reasons for disposing of their car(s), but had decided to do it, and started to live without them, adopting alternative methods of transportation. Our findings show that these consumers faced a complicated process regarding the disposal of their car(s) but, due to the changes in their circumstances, they re‐signified relevant concepts that were connected to the ownership of a car: Their perception of freedom, comfort, safety and status changed during and after the disposal of their car(s). We also noticed that there were implications in terms of changes in their attitudes and behaviour as both citizens and consumers. As a contribution to the literature, our findings indicate that the re‐signifying of concepts related to possession of the object as well as changes in attitudes and behaviours that consumers undergo in the postdisposal stage, must be included in the model proposed for evaluating consumer behaviour in product disposal.

Nostalgia prompts sustainable product disposal

“…When disposing, the relationship between the consumer and the product changes. The product disposal can be viewed from the perspective of emotional separation and physical separation (Sandes et al, 2019). In this process, disposal is not only responsible for transmitting meaning, but also for creating or strengthening new self, making it possible to transition from the old self to the new self (Lastovicka & Fernandez, 2005).…”

“…When consumers stop using products, product disposal occurs. There are various ways to dispose of products, such as keeping, reusing, donating, recycling, or throwing away (Cruz‐Cárdenas & Arévalo‐Chávez, 2018; Sandes et al, 2019), each with different implications for environmental sustainability. Products which are thrown away are generally incinerated or end up in landfill, and have negative impacts on water resources, atmosphere, soil, etc.…”

“…Consumers' product‐disposal behaviors have important impacts on the environment, society, enterprises, and consumers themselves (Sandes, Leandro, Boaventura, & da Silva Junior, 2019). Proper disposal of products is vitally important for reducing resource waste, improving resource utilization, prolonging product life cycle, and product replacement decisions.…”

Expanding Research Horizons: use of online interviews in Consumer Culture Theory

“…In Table 4, we present the research strategies of the studies that make up our corpus. Ethnographic studies are the most incisive in our corpus: when online interviews appear in works from the three levels of our category: those that use DTIC to collect research data (Alhashem et al, 2021;Campbell et al, 2019;Corciolani, 2014;Gordon-Wilson, 2021;Kozinets et al, 2016;Le-Phuong Nguyen et al, 2017;Obiegbu et al 2019;O'Leary & Murphy, 2019;Podoshen et al, 2014 ;Reid & Duffy, 2018;Yalkin & Veer, 2018); use virtual dialogues as a complement to in-person interviews (Athwal & Harris, 2018;Chimenti, 2020;Darmody et al, 2017;Dean, 2019;Dolbec & Fischer, 2015;Figueiredo & Scaraboto, 2016;Harwood & Garry, 2010;;Husemann & Eckhardt, 2019;Nilsson, 2020;Pulh et al, 2018;Rojas Gaviria et al, 2019;Sandes et al, 2019;Scaraboto, 2015;Scarborough & McCoy, 2016;Veer & Golf-Papez, 2018;Veresiu & Giesler, 2018;Zanette & Brito, 2019); and those who resorted to the technique as an option not initially planned for the scope of the research (Beverland et al, 2020;Feiereisen et al, 2020;Giesler & Veresiu, 2014;McAlexander et al, 2014). Specifically, we identified that online interviews are often associated with a stage or complement of netnography -the adaptation of the ethnography developed by Kozinets (2020) consumption practices in the virtual context.…”

Organizações que atuam no modelo de economia compartilhada:pesquisa exploratória sobre os conceitos e práticas

“…STUD. (SANDES et al, 2019) Innovative and sustainable business models in the fashion industry: entrepreneurial drivers, opportunities, and challenges Estudo para investigar os modelos de negócios da moda que tenham sustentabilidade como característica definidora, especialmente em termos de proposição de valor. Para isso, os autores realizam uma revisão sistemática da literatura com pesquisas empíricas composto por seis entrevistas com especialistas em sustentabilidade, inovação de iniciativas empresariais, indústria da moda, além de oito estudos de caso sobre moda inovadora de startups 'nascidas sustentáveis' BUS.…”