The Consumer Journey to Adapt a Zero-Waste Lifestyle - A Transtheoretical Approach MASTER THESIS WITHIN: Business Administration NUMBER OF CREDITS: 15 ECTS PROGRAM OF STUDY: International Marketing AUTHORS: Sophia Kleesattel & Laura van Dormalen TUTOR: Darko Pantelic JÖNKÖPING May 2018 1 Master Thesis in Business Administration Title: The Consumer Journey to Adapt a Zero-Waste Lifestyle – A Transtheoretical Approach Authors: Sophia Kleesattel & Laura van Dormalen Tutor: Darko Pantelic Date: 21. May 2018 Key Words: Zero-Waste, Consumer Behavior, Behavior Change, Consumer Motivation, Excessive Packaging, Transtheoretical Model ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Hereby, we would like to express our gratitude to everyone who was involved in the process of writing this thesis. A special thanks to our tutor Darko Pantelic who always took the time for feedback meetings and guided us through this entire process. Moreover, without our extremely helpful and interesting participants, this piece of work would not have been the same. We appreciated every critical comment as well as constructive feedback, which helped us finalizing this master thesis. Thank you, Sophia Kleesattel & Laura van Dormalen 2 ABSTRACT Background and Literature Zero-waste consumers live a lifestyle that aims to minimize waste, maximize recycling, avoid excessive consumption and prefer products that can be reused, recycled or repaired (GRRN, n.d.). This study provides insights into the behavior change process of zero-waste consumers and gives details into the motivators that impacted consumers. Their journey is analyzed with help of the five stages of the Transtheoretical Model by DiClemente et al. (1991) and its behavior change constructs. Furthermore, motivators of this behavior change are categorized and analyzed by means of the concept of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation (Oakley, Chen, & Nisi, 2012). Methodology Following the interpretive approach of this qualitative study, a total of eleven in-depth interviews with consumers who successfully adapt the zero-waste lifestyle and integrate the waste hierarchy (DEFRA, 2011) in their actions, are conducted. The received insights are used to categorize the consumer journey towards the zero-waste lifestyle according to the conceptual framework. This approach ensures the detailed presentation of personal experiences which are analyzed according to relevant theory of behavior change and motivation. Outcomes The outcomes of this study show that zero-waste consumers are predominantly environmentally conscious before undergoing this behavior change journey. The process can be categorized according to the existing Transtheoretical Model, however, certain aspects regarding behavior change constructs within the model and the overall influence of social environment on consumers motivation opens new insights of ethical consumption that need to be further explored. Added Value This paper provides an understanding of the previously unexplored field of behavior change and consumer motivation of zero-waste consumers. Derived from the findings of this study, valuable sustainable strategies for businesses, governments and consumers can be determined. Additionally, this paper introduces new research areas, which benefit researchers to create added value for all previously mentioned parties. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ................................................................................................................. 2 ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................... 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................................. 4 TABLE OF FIGURES...................................................................................................................... 5 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 6 1.1 Background ........................................................................................................................ 6 1.2 Problem Definition ............................................................................................................. 8 1.3 Purpose............................................................................................................................... 8 1.4 Research Questions ............................................................................................................ 8 1.5 Limitations ......................................................................................................................... 9 1.6 Delimitations ...................................................................................................................... 9 1.7 Contribution .................................................................................................................... 10 1.8 Key Words ....................................................................................................................... 11 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................................................... 12 2.1 Consumer Behavior ......................................................................................................... 12 2.1.1 Ethical consumer behavior .......................................................................................... 13 2.1.2 Consumer behavior change ......................................................................................... 14 2.1.3 Change towards zero-waste behavior .......................................................................... 14 2.2 Transtheoretical Model of Change .................................................................................. 17 2.2.1 Behavior Change Constructs ....................................................................................... 19 2.3 Consumer Motivation ...................................................................................................... 21 2.3.1 Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation ............................................................................... 22 2.4 Conceptual Framework ................................................................................................... 23 3. METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................ 25 3.1 Research Philosophy ........................................................................................................ 25 3.2 Research Approach.......................................................................................................... 26 3.3 Research Design ............................................................................................................... 27 3.4 Participants ...................................................................................................................... 27 3.5 Data Collection Method ................................................................................................... 28 3.6 Data Analysis ................................................................................................................... 30 4. FINDINGS & DISCUSSION ............................................................................................... 31 4.1 Precontemplation ............................................................................................................. 32 4.2 Contemplation ................................................................................................................. 36 4.3 Preparation ...................................................................................................................... 40 4.4 Action ............................................................................................................................... 43 4.5 Maintenance ..................................................................................................................... 48 5. CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................................................. 53 5.1 Research questions........................................................................................................... 53 5.2 Recommendations ............................................................................................................ 56 5.2.1 Governmental Implications ......................................................................................... 56 5.2.2 Managerial Implications.............................................................................................. 56 5.2.3 Future Research .......................................................................................................... 58 5.3 Limitations ....................................................................................................................... 58 REFERENCES............................................................................................................................... 60 APPENDIX .................................................................................................................................... 66 4 TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 1: The Waste Hierarchy adapted from (DEFRA, 2011).......................................................... 15 Figure 2: The Transtheoretical Model adapted from (DiClemente, Prochaska, Fairhust, Velicer, Rossi & Velasquez, 1991). .......................................................................................................................