Stakeholders’ Perceptions of the Linkage Between Reproductive Rights and Environmental Sustainability

The fulfilment of reproductive health and rights may have a synergistic relationship to environmental sustainability because it leads to lower fertility levels. With this in mind, and with the objective of increasing the legitimacy, funding and acceptance of reproductive health and rights, I conducted a mixed-methods qualitative study consisting of an online survey followed by in-depth interviews. I reached out to two groups of participants: stakeholders of the reproductive health and rights movement, and stakeholders of the environmental sustainability movement. I explored how stakeholders perceived the linkages between family planning, population growth and environmental sustainability. Results indicate that these stakeholders overwhelmingly support the integration of the reproductive health and rights ideological framework in a wider sustainability frame reflecting environmental considerations. I identified three barriers to both addressing and implementing the linkage: responsibility allocation injustice, colonialism and discrimination, and marginalisation. Environmental sustainability and reproductive health and rights stakeholders appear in favour of applying what could be considered ‘environmental mainstreaming’ to the reproductive health and rights field. Environmental sustainability stakeholders were more likely than reproductive health and rights stakeholders, who were more divided on this issue, to endorse the linkage and related concepts.

Assessing the Integration of Environmental Justice and Sustainability in Practice: A Review of the Literature

The environmental justice (EJ) movement has been a key factor in the United States’ struggle to provide a healthy environment for all to thrive. The origins of the movement date as far back as the 1960’s, led primarily by people of color and low economic status communities living in America’s most polluted environments. More recently, the just sustainability movement calls for the inclusion of EJ considerations, including social justice, equity, and human rights, into sustainability science and initiatives. Whereas previous work has elucidated synergies between both concepts, this paper provides a literature review of studies that apply the concepts of EJ and sustainability in the US to inform ways in which the concepts are merging (or not) for practical applications. The primary objectives of this review are (1) to identify the common themes in which EJ and sustainability are applied, (2) to qualitatively assess the progression of the integration of these important movements in practical applications, and (3) to inform research gaps that exist in this area. In general, we find that despite the increasing conceptual emphasis on the need to integrate these important concepts, the reviewed scholarship reveals that in practice, the integration of EJ and sustainability remains piecemeal.

Interview with John Elkington

John Elkington, Founder & Chief Pollinator at Volans, is one of the founders of the global sustainability movement, an experienced advisor to business, and a highly regarded keynote speaker and contributor, from conferences to boards and advisory boards. John tackles some of the world's most challenging problems, helping key actors move from the responsibility agenda through resilience to regeneration. He has inspired a number of Volans’ inquiries, including Project Breakthrough, Tomorrow’s Capitalism Inquiry and the Green Swans Observatory. He has worked with an A-to-Z of businesses worldwide, now helping the Volans team guide multinational companies to transform towards a regenerative future

Framing in a Multicultural Social Movement

This article analyses the sustainability movement that opposed the construction of the Las Cruces hydroelectric project in the San Pedro River watershed in Nayarit, Mexico. It focuses on the movement’s theoretical framework and general orientation in order to show how the various and distinct frameworks that emerged throughout the evolution of the movement were selected, adjusted and creatively reworked within the movement. This allowed these frameworks to adapt to changing local social, cultural, and environ- mental conditions through a process that also enriched them and imbued them with new meanings through contact with the perspectives of coastal agricultural and fishing communities, as well as with indigenous Naayeri communities in the mountains.

Why Is Collaborative Apparel Consumption Gaining Popularity? An Empirical Study of US Gen Z Consumers

Apparel rental, also known as collaborative apparel consumption, has created an innovative and popular business model, providing consumers with the ability to focus on using their products instead of ownership. Recent surveys show that sustainability is driving demand and customer loyalty in the US. Among all generations, Gen Z consumers lead the way. To better understand the emerging popularity of apparel rental services among Gen Z consumers who are becoming a major driving force for retail growth and the sustainability movement, this study aimed to identify the factors significantly influencing Gen Z consumers’ intention to use apparel rental services; 362 eligible responses were gathered via a questionnaire survey. The psychometric properties of the proposed model were examined, and the multiple regression method was applied to test the hypotheses. Attitude, subject norms, perceived consumer effectiveness, past environmental behavior, and fashion leadership significantly affected Gen Z consumers’ intentions to use apparel rental services. Attitude plays a mediating role between Gen Z consumers’ environmental knowledge, fashion leadership, need for uniqueness, and their intention to use apparel rental services. The proposed research model exhibited good explanatory power, accounting for 58.6% of the variance in Gen Z consumers’ use intention toward apparel rental services.

Purchase intention toward sustainable fashion brand: analysis on the effect of customer awareness on sustainability on willingness to pay

Customer awareness of sustainable products has increased very rapidly during the last few years. This phenomenon has encouraged international fast-fashion brands to develop a new line which is a more sustainable line. This paper aims to examine the effect of customer awareness on sustainability and willingness to pay on purchase intention toward sustainable fashion brands. This study obtained 211 respondents with the sampling method of purposive sampling with the criteria as follow: (1) Men and women who are Indonesians, (2) Men and women who enjoyed clothes-shopping at international fast-fashion brands stores, also (3) Men and women who aged 15 – 36 years old. Multiple regressions were used as a method to conduct hypotheses test of this study. The findings of this study stated that sustainability movement awareness and willingness to pay contributes a positive and significant effect towards the purchase intention of Indonesian customers. Furthermore, this study has found that the Indonesian market is already very aware of the sustainability movement and the concerns toward environmental health.

Strategic problematization of sustainability reframing dissent in strategic communication for transformation

Involving stakeholders in organizational decisions is essential in the present sustainability movement, associated with the social license to operate and specific forms of communication in, from and about organizations with an impact orientation. This paper introduces a concept of strategic problematization of sustainability for transformation as innovative approach to Public Relations (PR), acknowledging the plurality of agonistic voices in stakeholder engagement processes in social, cultural and environmental transformations and challenging the normative concept of dialogue and solution- and consensus-oriented approaches to date. The article discusses the transformative potential of PR by reframing dissent and introducing problematization as ability to agonize and, therefore, as key process of constructive strategic communication for sustainable development. Three conversational procedures in water (scarcity) management on a local, national and international level were chosen to explore the potential of strategic problematization in relation to sustainability as normative framework of today’s society. The implications of the case studies and the conceptual framework expand existing engagement theories with a critical perspective and manifest the transformative potential of PR for a sustainable future.

Young People as Drivers or Inhibitors of the Sustainability Movement: The Case of Anti-Consumption

As overconsumption has negative effects on ecological balance, social equality, and individual well-being, reducing consumption levels among the materially affluent is an emerging strategy for sustainable development. Today’s youth form a crucial target group for intervening in unsustainable overconsumption habits and for setting the path and ideas on responsible living. This article explores young people’s motivations for engaging in three behavioural patterns linked to anti-consumption (voluntary simplicity, collaborative consumption, and living within one’s means) in relation to sustainability. Applying a qualitative approach, laddering interviews reveal the consequences and values behind the anti-consumption behaviours of young people of ages 14 to 24 according to a means-end chains analysis. The findings highlight potential for and the challenges involved in motivating young people to reduce material levels of consumption for the sake of sustainability. Related consumer policy tools from the fields of education and communication are identified. This article provides practical implications for policy makers, activists, and educators. Consumer policies may strengthen anti-consumption among young people by addressing individual benefits, enabling reflection on personal values, and referencing credible narratives. The presented insights can help give a voice to young consumers, who struggle to establish themselves as key players in shaping the future consumption regime.

Young sustainability activists as public educators: An aesthetic approach

In recent years we have seen increasing youth activism on climate and other sustainability issues. This paper presents a theoretical framework for further research on young sustainability activists as public educators. The point of departure is taken in Latour’s argumentation concerning the need to create new attachments to the Earth. In line with this, we highlight the importance of aesthetics and experiences conceived as integrated sense-perceptional, emotional and intellectual faculties. The second part of the paper moves into social movement theory, to explore what role the Youth for Sustainability movement may have in creating new attachments to the Earth. Drawing on Melucci, emphasis is put on the movement’s collective identity making. Furthermore, following Rancière, the ability to interrupt the distribution of the senses is stressed. Examples of youth activism for sustainability are presented and interpreted, which points to the potential of children and young people to act successfully. The last part of the paper moves into pedagogical theories to explore how this kind of youth activism fostering new attachments to the Earth can be conceived as public pedagogy. We thereby refer to Biesta’s distinction between pedagogy for the public, pedagogy of the public and pedagogy for publicness.

'Clothes' The Loop: Raising Awareness of Sustainable Fashion Among Millennial Consumers Through Digital Platforms

The average consumer is not aware of the implications regarding the externalized cost of cheap clothing and overconsumption, which attributes to the growing need for sustainable fashion. The adverse effects within the fashion supply chain and substantial increase in consumption levels have led to the sustainability movement. Sustainability leaders in the fashion industry provide a wealth of information, but easily accessible forms of this information about fashion are not available to consumers. To elicit change, buy-in from consumers is paramount. Millennials are the chosen target market for this study due to their large purchasing power. This study will educate Millennial consumers about the power of sustainability through the development of an ecommerce mobile application prototype. The mobile application Loop will become the user’s guide, via an accessible mobile interface, for sustainable apparel purchases. It will also provide the necessary brand research that will bridge the consumer gap in a simple, easily consumable output.