Responsible Consumption by Indian Women and Sustainability

Abstract

Responsible consumption, often used interchangeably with sustainable consumption, is a way of consumption that considers the economic, social, and environmental effects of the goods or services being consumed. Ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) published by the United Nations (2023) The research aims to comprehend the awareness, practice, and scope of responsible consumption behaviour among women in India. It also serves as a means to highlight the necessity for further researches on Indian women’s approach towards responsible consumption, attributing to India’s abundance in resources as well as population, with women being an influential segment of the Indian society. The research analyses primary data obtained from an online survey (n = 102) and online focus group interview (n = 4) with women consumers. The online survey checks the respondents’ views through a series of Likert scale- based situational questions, while the focus group interview attempts to employ a more communicative and open-ended approach towards decoding Indian women’s awareness and practice of responsible consumer behaviour. Diagnostic analysis of the obtained qualitative data has been performed. Although application of convenience sampling method for the selection of the sample ensures exhaustiveness and authenticity in the responses, lack of diversity in the sample might diminish the generalizability of the inferences. Furthermore, the respondents’ self-reported data might lack reliability, as it could be influenced by social desirability bias or inaccurate self-perceptions. Lack of statistical analysis tools for qualitative studies like this one makes the implementation of their results quite subjective and therefore, more complex. However, this report presents a thorough descriptive interpretation of the research and serves as a starting point for further researches in this domain, with emphasis on women consumers.