Abstract:

High consumption in modern life with increasing environmentally destructions, and the negative effects of this consumption on natural resources and ecological equilibrium have pointed the attentions on sustainability of consumption. In this study, the relation of the value structure of consumers and the voluntary simple life style which is recently used in researching environment-oriented market dimension with the sustainable consumption have been analyzed. In this context, value orientation of consumers VALS scale, voluntary simple life style and sustainable consumption behavior of the relevant studies have been measured through the scales. According to the research, it is pointed out that sustainable consumption behavior can be divided into two parts: financial saving and environmental sensitivity behaviors. In general, although it is determined that majority of consumers pay attention to sustainable consumption behavior; behavior of saving money’s being more important than environment-oriented behavior has emerged. In terms of the evaluation group for VALS, fulfilled, makers, strugglers and experiencers’ groups of sustainable consumption are associated with sustainable consumption, but this relationship has emerged negatively in experiencers’ group. In addition, VALS value and life styles are quite low for explaining sustainable consumption, but voluntary simple life style scale is more meaningful in explaining sustainable consumption. However, while taking into account the intensive usage of VALS scale of the companies, it is believed that the results will lead to the sustainable consumption which is related to the marketing activities. On the other hand, when the intensity of VALS scale usage by companies taken into account, the results of research related to sustainable consumption are thought to shed light on marketing activities.

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