About the programme

This concluded research program aimed to stimulate a transition toward more sustainable consumption in Sweden. The goal was to contribute to the transition by increasing knowledge of how sustainable consumption, currently practiced by only a few, can be scaled up and become more common. The program ran from 2018 to 2025.

The goals of the programme was to:

• Explore, test and contribute to enabling solutions and strategies for sustainable consumption practices,
• Contribute to international research and development of sustainable consumption practices,
• Engage in and initiate forums for dialogue and testing of solutions with societal stakeholders.
• The scientific contribution of this programme was in-depth knowledge on how and under what conditions sustainable niche practices can become more mainstream and how the transition to sustainable consumption practices can be accelerated. The programme explored strategies that have been identified in the literature as key to enabling sustainable consumption: (a) the sharing of goods and services; (b) the downsizing of goods and services by consuming less; and (c) the shifting towards more resource-efficient products and services.

The program consisted of the following projects, which ran from 2022-2026:

Practice 1 – Testing new practices and measures in businesses and households 

Project leader: Åsa Svenfelt

The aim of this project was to explore transitions to, and enablers for, sustainable consumption practices, through setting up and analysing interventions in three arenas: households, stores, and through reduced work time.

Practice 2 – Digitalisation: friends & foes of sustainable consumption? 

Project leader: Matthias Lehner

This project explored some of the effects and trade-offs associated with digital consumption. How does digitalisation influence consumption decisions? How can it be used to nudge consumers towards more sustainable consumption? What governance mechanisms need to be in place for digitalisation to support deep sustainability transformations?

Policy 1 – Public policy experiments 

Project leader: Karin Bradley

One way to spur innovation and action in public policy is to use different forms of real-world policy experiments. In this project, we explored the roles of policy experiments, at the local and regional levels, for strengthening the capacity for sustainability transitions and as a way of broadening the policy toolbox.

Policy 2 – Company targets as a form of sustainable consumption governance

Project leader: Jörgen Larsson

How can companies that sell products and services directly to the consumer influence consumption patterns? They might have an important role to play in the transition as they affect both producers and consumers. We investigated the food and holiday sector and looked for effective strategies and sustainability indicators.

Policy 3 – Policy packages and public support

Project leader: Jörgen Larsson

This project studied the framing of knowledge about sustainable consumption and what role such framings play for transformation.

Frames 1 – From disputes to the constructive application of SC knowledge

Project leader: Mikael Klintman

In this project we investigated how disputed knowledge claims about sustainable consumption is dealt with by different actors. Furthermore, we investigated how opportunities for knowledge about sustainable consumption can be incorporated in and between organisations.

Frames 2 – Creating space for change by dispelling myths about sustainable consumption behaviour

Project leader: Oksana Mont

We identified and dispelled myths about sustainable consumption, as well as developed a communications package about these myths and how to dispel them.

Frames 3 – Framing futures for deep transformation

Project leaders: Åsa Svenfelt and Karin Bradley

This project explored framings of sustainable consumption, now and in the future, and how these can be reframed using storytelling and intrinsic values.

Effects 1 – Macro perspectives on sustainable consumption

Project leader: Göran Finnveden

The project investigated how policies for sustainable consumption can have broader socio-economic impacts.

Effects 2 – Micro-level analyses of consumer behaviour and offsetting

Project leader: Jonas Nässén

We built on research from Phase 1 of the program on rebound effects from intentionally pro-environmental behaviors, but also incorporated analyses of carbon offsetting.

Supervisor: Karin Bradley (licentiate project)

Country-comparative study of policies for sustainable food-consumption

Project leader: Jörgen Larsson

Indirect rebound effects of increased use of virtual reality

Project leader: Matthias Lehner

Illustrations of visions for sustainable consumption 

Project leader: Åsa Svenfelt

Alternative welfare-measures as an enabler for sustainable consumption 

Project leader: Åsa Svenfelt

Local mobility markets in suburbian neighboorhoods

Project leader: Matthias Lernher (PhD project, Erika Kriukelyte)