Sustainable consumption work
People often have positive attitudes toward sustainable consumption. But they don’t tend to act in accord with those attitudes. What’s up with that?
Research
Green supply chain
Kapitan, Sommer, Ann-Marie Kennedy, and Nicole Berth (2019), "Sustainably superior versus greenwasher: A scale measure of B2B sustainability positioning," Industrial Marketing Management, 76, 84-97.
Kennedy, Ann-Marie, Sommer Kapitan and Samuel Soo, (2016), “Eco-warriors: Shifting sustainable retail strategy via authentic retail brand image,” Australasian Marketing Journal, 24 (2), 125-134.
Kapitan, Sommer and Ann-Marie Kennedy (2015), “Achieve Sustainable Superiority by Communicating Green Practices and Ideals,” in Arenstein, S. (ed), The Book of CSR & Green PR: Strategies & Tactics, PR News Press: Rockville, MD, 146-149.
Green consumers
Ross, Spencer M. and Sommer Kapitan (2018), "Balancing Self/Collective Interest: Equity Theory for Prosocial Consumption," European Journal of Marketing, 52 (3/4), 528-549.
Kapitan, Sommer and Rajesh Bhargave (2013). “Navigating Residue Sensitivity In the Used Goods Marketplace,” Psychology & Marketing, 30 (4), 305-317.
Kapitan, Sommer, Rajesh Bhargave, Kristin Trask, Jill M. Sundie and David H. Silvera (2013). “Product End-of-Life Decisions.” Communicating Sustainability for the Green Economy. Ed. Lynn Khale. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, p. 56-71.
Kapitan, Sommer (2022). “Credibility vs. transparency in green marketing.” Chapter 14 in The Routledge Companion to Marketing and Society, Eds. Kubacki, K., Parker, L., Domegan, C., & Brennan, L., pages 223-237.
Sustainable decisions
Phipps, Marcus, Lucie K. Ozanne, Michael Luchs, Saroja Subrahmanyan, Sommer Kapitan, Jesse R. Catlin, Roland Gau, Rebecca Walker Naylor, Randall L. Rose, Bonnie Simpson, and S. Todd Weaver (2013), “Understanding the Inherent Complexity of Sustainable Consumption: A Social Cognitive Theory Approach,” Journal of Business Research, 66 (8), 1227-1234.
Luchs, Michael M., Rebecca Walker Naylor, Randall L. Rose, Jesse Catlin, Roland Gau, Sommer Kapitan, Jenny Mish, Lucie K. Ozanne, Marcus Phipps, Bonnie Simpson, Saroja Subrahmanyan, and S. Todd Weaver (2011), “Toward a Sustainable Marketplace: Expanding Options and Benefits for Consumers,” Journal of Research for Consumers, 19.
Kennedy, Ann-Marie and Kapitan, Sommer (2022). “Sustainability marketing and the environmental impact of marketing.” Chapter 13 in The Routledge Companion to Marketing and Society, Eds. Kubacki, K., Parker, L., Domegan, C., & Brennan, L., pages 207-222.
Media
Why are more people choosing diamonds grown in a lab? Ethical supply chain gives consumers more choices in jewellry.
Print media
Nov 14, 2021, stuff.co.nz, “The irony of Countdown marketing ‘sustainable’ collections to kids”
May 19, 2021, stuff.co.nz, “Most women unaware period products contain plastic, study shows”
May 7, 2021, Newshub, “Why more people are choosing diamonds grown in a lab”
Feb 11, 2021, stuff.co.nz, “TradeMe reveals price of secondhand goods rising fast as shoppers embrace preloved”
May 28, 2020, stuff.co.nz, “Allbirds partners with Adidas to tackle climate change”
April 15, 2020, stuff.co.nz, “Allbirds to introduce a new number on their shoes: the environmental cost”
March 30, 2020, stuff.co.nz, “Coronavirus: Lockdown rubbish and food waste could be high”
Feb 28, 2020, stuff.co.nz, “Glassons introduces recycled plastic knitwear and sustainable denim”
Dec 15, 2019, stuff.co.nz, “Binge-shopping, tree emissions, plastic and food waste must change to save the climate”
Nov 17, 2019, stuff.co.nz, “Hotel industry having a change of heart as businesses become more sustainable”
Aug 20, 2019, sunlive.co.nz, “The moral disgust of being a plastic user”
Aug 10, 2019, stuff.co.nz, “A life without plastic, or less plastic, is a lifestyle worth the effort”
July 29, 2019, Otago Daily Times, “Our plastics addiction”
July 23, 2019, New Zealand Herald, “Could ‘plastic shaming’ help NZ’s waste woes?”
July 23, 2019, stuff.co.nz, Truckload of plastic waste dumped into oceans every 38 seconds: Report
July 23, 2019, NewsTalkZB, Could “plastic shaming” help NZ’s waste woes?”
April 21, 2019, stuff.co.nz, “Don’t roll up the tinfoil and other Easter wastage reduction hacks”
Nov 20, 2018, Dominion Post and stuff.co.nz, “We’re worried about the environment, but don’t know how to take action”
Oct 9, 2018, stuff.co.nz, “‘Moral disgust’ is changing the way we think about plastic”
Dec 21, 2017, The Spinoff, "Green to be seen? How we self-justify our consumer hypocrisy"
Aug 12, 2017, New Zealand Herald, “Water crisis damages New Zealand’s clean green image”
Oped & PR statements
Statement with Science Media Centre: “Report on dealing with plastics: Expert Reaction,” July 23, 2019