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Ethical Pro-Environmental Self-Identity Practice: The Case of Second-Hand Products

Author

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  • Saleh Md Arman

    (Sustainable Development, Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden)

  • Cecilia Mark-Herbert

    (Department of Forest Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden)

Abstract

As part of sustainable development, more attention is being placed on consumer behavior. Revised economic models have resulted in an understanding of the need for a circular economy. In this perspective, the consumer is not merely the buyer of the product but also a seller in consumer-to-consumer (C2C) activities, here referred to as re-commerce. In this qualitative study, researchers conducted in-depth interviews of 32 respondents from two countries who had second-hand product trading experience on Facebook. The study uses thematic content analysis to analyze the themes of ethical pro-environmental self-identity (PESI) practices in the respondents’ everyday lives. In this study, challenges relating to understanding conditions for fruitful re-commerce are framed in a social practice theory. Focus is placed on ethical pro-environmental self-identity in the context of selling or buying products in Bangladesh and Sweden. The contributions of this study relate to consumer perspectives on what enables re-commerce for six selected product categories. The study also points to the importance of social media and context-bound differences between product groups as well as individuals in two national contexts.

Suggested Citation

  • Saleh Md Arman & Cecilia Mark-Herbert, 2022. "Ethical Pro-Environmental Self-Identity Practice: The Case of Second-Hand Products," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-18, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:4:p:2154-:d:748865
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    Cited by:

    1. Pedro Hinojo & David Suárez & Begoña García-Mariñoso, 2022. "Drivers of Consumer Participation in Online Second-Hand Transactions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-13, April.
    2. Madeline Taylor & Katherine M. White & Lucy Caughey & Amy Nutter & Amelia Primus, 2023. "Unique and Cheap or Damaged and Dirty? Young Women’s Attitudes and Image Perceptions about Purchasing Secondhand Clothing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(23), pages 1-21, November.

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