Beyond Good Intentions: Unpacking the Paradox of Sustainable and Responsible Consumption Across Sectors

As global anxieties surrounding environmental degradation and social inequalities escalate, consumers increasingly seek to align their consumption choices with their values, prioritizing environmentally and socially responsible products and services. However, transforming this heightened awareness into consistent and impactful behavioral change is complex and often fraught with contradictions. This investigation seeks to delineate the theoretical distinctions and interconnections between two key paradigms in responsible consumption. Recognizing that these concepts manifest differently across industries, this research adopts a comparative lens, examining their practical implications within the food, and fashion sectors. By employing a mixed methods approach, integrating qualitative analysis of social media discourse with quantitative data from a consumer survey, this study investigates how sustainable and socially responsible consumption behaviors are uniquely exhibited within each sector, the specific factors influencing their adoption, and the emergence of paradoxical outcomes. Through this multifaceted exploration, the study aims to contribute an understanding of responsible consumption paradoxes, offering valuable theoretical and practical insights for academics, businesses, and policymakers.