“I gave in and I’m not proud . . . ”: When responsible consumers transgress their personal norms

Abstract

Being a responsible consumer represents a daily challenge and there are many obstacles to implementing responsible behaviors. Past research has underlined the gap between pro-environmental attitudes and effective behaviors, highlighting obstacles to the adoption of responsible behaviors. However, it has hitherto not looked at the transgressions of consumers who adopt responsible behaviors in their daily lives. To address this gap, our research adopts a qualitative approach, based on semi-directive interviews conducted using the critical incident technique. Our analysis revealed several reasons why responsible consumers transgress their personal norms, and how these “consumer green transgressions” are managed by the responsible consumers. We also established a typology of “consumer green transgressions” based on a double categorization: anticipated versus impulsive transgressions and repetitive versus exceptional transgressions. Finally, we highlighted two “cause(s) → transgression → consequence(s)” trajectories. The results of this research offer several theoretical contributions and managerial implications, including discussing the literature on “green gap.”