A Study of Conscious Consumerism of Sustainable Products Among the University Students

Abstract

This chapter focuses on analyzing conscious consumption practices of sustainable products among the young generation, and their perceptions and behavior toward it. Because university students are the future consumers, they are more educated and aware than the typical person (Mcmillin & Dyball, 2009), will have earning capacity, and will be able to influence others in their workplaces (Nejati & Nejati, 2013), it is critical to measure sustainable consumption in the context of university students. Businesses and marketing strategies must also take into account sustainable consumption. In this vein, policy and business ramifications have been explored (Joshi & Rahman, 2015; Young, Hwang, McDonald, & Oates, 2010). Taking in view the above viewpoint, the focus of the study is to measure and analyze the responses of young generations to conscious consumption of sustainable products in Pune City. This is a descriptive study that was conducted among the 501 students at MIT-World Peace University (MITWPU) in Pune using a judgmental sampling method. Data collection was done through a standardized questionnaire using Google forms. Exploratory factor analysis and percentage analysis were used to examine the responses obtained using SPSS IBM 28.0. The results of the study reveal that conscious consumption enhances the environmental, social, and economic quality of life among young generations. It reflects conscious sense among youth as well as their perception and behavior on caring about themselves, the environment, and conserving for future generations.

Citation

Raut, N. and Pendse, M. (2023), "A Study of Conscious Consumerism of Sustainable Products Among the University Students", Saini, A. and Garg, V. (Ed.) Transformation for Sustainable Business and Management Practices: Exploring the Spectrum of Industry 5.0, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 105-117. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80262-277-520231009