An emerging trend of mindful consumption: Why people don't walk their talk?

When you come across people who do not act ethically as consumers, do you wonder how they could be indifferent towards others and the environment? If yes, you may be asking the wrong question. Research has shown that in many cases, people have the best intention to behave ethically and pro-environmentally; what is missing is the conversion of their intention into actual behaviour (Bamberg & Möser, 2007; Grimmer & Miles, 2017; Richetin et al., 2011).

Take meat consumption, for instance. The main reasons that people avoid eating meat include standing against animal cruelty and preserving environmental resources (Bamberg & Möser, 2007; Sheth et al., 2011). However, it seems unlikely that others who eat meat want to be cruel to animals or harm the environment. Instead, the chances are that there is a gap between their intention and their actual behaviour. This intention-behaviour gap (IBG) is a well-known phenomenon that has been studied for decades within various fields, including social psychology, business and marketing (Bamberg & Möser, 2007; Loy et al., 2016; Vermeir & Verbeke, 2006).