Title: Culturally driven notion of sustainable lifestyle: the case of Polish consumers

Authors: Agata Neale

Addresses: Social Anthropology Faculty, Department of Sociology, Jagiellonian University, ul: Grodzka 52, 31-044 Krakow, Poland

Abstract: This exploratory study is an attempt to appraise the knowledge about sustainable consumption in Poland. It seeks to understand the consumption as an activity of an individual driven by ecological and social values in the context of culture. The data for this study was collected from a purposive sample of one focus interview with 20 interviewees and it was obtained in 2008 and 2011. The term lifestyle used in this study can be defined as culturally determined practices and attitudes towards material objects, reflected in habits of spending free time and in the modes of consumption. In this article, the author will represent lifestyles of Polish consumers, taking into account a great variety of daily practices and habits which dominate in the group of eco-oriented individuals.

Keywords: sustainability; sustainable lifestyle; sustainable consumption; Poland; sustainable development; culture; social values; ecological values.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESD.2013.052984

International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development, 2013 Vol.12 No.2, pp.184 - 196

Published online: 28 Jan 2014 *

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