Values in practice: Framing policy and planning for sustainable consumption

Recognizing the extensive and disruptive environmental degradation following unsustainable consumption, public, private and civil society actors all call for action.

However, who is called to action and what that action consists of differs depending on what is seen as desirable, and the perceived extent of change needed. Influencing such divergent interpretations are different value prioritizations, encouraging different practices.

Theories of values stress the need to consider the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic values when framing any initiative claiming a sustainability agenda, however studies in real-life contexts are largely lacking in this field.

Addressing this gap, the project will critically explore different framings of Swedish “sustainable” consumption initiatives in terms of the values engaged, with the aim to explore how a shift in value orientation can be achieved and what policy and planning conditions and tools could support a framing of intrinsic values.

The initial mapping of initiatives and analysis of associated discourses will provide a contextualisation for studying three cases of sustainable consumption initiatives that differ in terms of sectoral representation.

In-depth interviews with initiators, strategists and key participants will help shed light on how values are negotiated by these initiatives, and how policy and planning can support the priming of intrinsic values as part of fundamental sustainability transitions.