Placing ‘sustainability’ in context: narratives of sustainable consumption in Nanjing, China

Abstract

This article examines how ordinary people practice the notion of sustainable consumption in relation to their everyday lives and experiences of the wider environment and, further, how these understandings relate to public discourses of sustainability in contemporary China. The paper is based on an empirical analysis of 129 narrative interviews with local residents in urban Nanjing, collected as part of an interdisciplinary and international comparative research project. It argues that in popular narratives, a combination of being green living a healthy lifestyle which has less impact on the environment and being rational through qinjian jieyue by reducing both consumption and waste is regarded as key to sustainability. Such attitudes align with recent Government campaigns to create an environmental-friendly and resource-conserving society. However, the analysis demonstrates how this sustainable way of consumption is restricted by Chinese mianzi and guanxi cultures, the anxieties caused by scares related to food safety, a social welfare system that does not promote a sense of security, and a widespread distrust of products made in China which has diffused across society. We argue that, studies on discourses and practices of sustainable consumption must strive to take more account of diverse local contexts and socio-cultural frameworks.

Comprehensive Food System Planning for Urban Food Security in Nanjing, China

“…Food safety has become a major concern of consumers throughout China [67]. In Nanjing, we found that three-quarters of surveyed household heads worry about the safety of their food on a daily basis [65,68]. Another recent study of narratives of sustainable consumption in Nanjing demonstrated similar deep-seated fears about contaminated food [69].…”

Consuming takeaway food: Convenience, waste and Chinese young people’s urban lifestyle

“…In contemporary China, the discourse of convenience is deeply inscribed in people's daily consumption. As discussed elsewhere, Chinese consumers would rather give up the convenience created by modern technologies, even though their purchase of convenience could cause environmental or social problems (Liu et al, 2018). It is still unclear how the role of takeaway food or other convenience food in Chinese consumers' everyday life in the literature.…”

“…According to these quotations, the term of mianzi (can be translated directly as 'face' in English. It refers to a sense of favourable self-esteem, wealth and prestige) is centred to social hospitality norms in China, which results in a great amount of food wastes in restaurants (Liu et al, 2018). Although people tend to eat alone and therefore do not have to care about their mianzi in canteens, the tasteless but cheap food provided in these institutional eating spaces make them waste more.…”

An Eco-Innovative Framework Development for Sustainable Consumption and Production in the Construction Industry

“…Sustainable consumption (A5) has emerged as a critical priority area in research and decision-making associated with sustainable development (Liu, Valentine, Vanderbeck, McQuaid, & Diprose, 2018). Providing eco-demand for the customer (C21) fulfills not only the physical and social needs for customers but also the consumption of green products and services (Horbach, Rammer, & Rennings, 2012;Tseng & Tan, 2016).…”