Asikis, T, Klinglmayr, J, Helbing, D et al. (1 more author) (2021) How value-sensitive design can empower sustainable consumption. Royal Society Open Science, 8 (1). 201418. ISSN 2054-5703
Abstract
In a so-called overpopulated world, sustainable consumption is of existential importance. However, the expanding spectrum of product choices and their production complexity challenge consumers to make informed and value-sensitive decisions. Recent approaches based on (personalized) psychological manipulation are often intransparent, potentially privacy-invasive and inconsistent with (informational) self-determination. By contrast, responsible consumption based on informed choices currently requires reasoning to an extent that tends to overwhelm human cognitive capacity. As a result, a collective shift towards sustainable consumption remains a grand challenge. Here, we demonstrate a novel personal shopping assistant implemented as a smart phone app that supports a value-sensitive design and leverages sustainability awareness, using experts’ knowledge and ‘wisdom of the crowd’ for transparent product information and explainable product ratings. Real-world field experiments in two supermarkets confirm higher sustainability awareness and a bottom-up behavioural shift towards more sustainable consumption. These results encourage novel business models for retailers and producers, ethically aligned with consumer preferences and with higher sustainability.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021 The Authors. Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, provided the original author and source are credited. |
Keywords: | attitude-behaviour-gap; value-sensitive design; sustainable consumption |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Computing (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 22 Apr 2021 07:41 |
Last Modified: | 22 Apr 2021 07:41 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | The Royal Society |
Identification Number: | 10.1098/rsos.201418 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:173257 |