NRP 73 – next steps: Swiss Sustainable Consumption Observatory

Individual consumer decisions – whether in terms of food, transport or electronic devices – directly influence a society’s ecological footprint. By carrying out regular surveys among a cross-section of Swiss society in all the major language regions, the SSCO provides insights into consumer behaviour and sustainable consumption trends. The Co-Creation Lab aims to bring together scientists from various NRP 73 projects, as well as representatives of important interest groups outside academia, in order to expand and integrate knowledge about the attitudes of Swiss consumers to sustainable consumption. In this way, the SSCO can help decision-makers to promote more sustainable consumer decisions.

So far, two surveys have been conducted. The first (n=1264) took place in January 2022, and the second (n=1167) in November 2022. A third survey was launched in September 2023. The principal results will be published in the form of a presentation on the SSCO website.

The key findings of the first two surveys are that consumers' awareness of sustainability varies greatly in a number of consumer areas, such as food, clothing and electronic devices. This calls for tailor-made approaches to promote sustainable consumption. A lack of reliable information and high prices represent significant barriers. If progress is to be made, it is vital to overcome established consumer habits and to focus on placing sustainability in a positive light. Likewise, the tendency to shift responsibility onto others is an issue that must be addressed. Politicians, manufacturers, retailers and consumers must recognise their specific responsibility for sustainable consumption and also act upon it.

To ensure the continuation of the SSCO and facilitate a multi-year comparison of consumer behaviour, the integration of selected SSCO topics into the Swiss Environmental Panel is being considered. The Swiss Environmental Panel is a long-term project of ETH Zurich and the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN). Integrating these topics offers numerous advantages, including a significantly larger sample size, improved data quality, exploitation of synergies between the SSCO and the Environmental Panel, and continuation of the SSCO's activities over the longer term.

 

More information:

ZHAW - Swiss Sustainable Consumer Observatory (SSCO)

NRP 73 - Sustainable Behaviour

 

Contact:

Dr. Yann Blumer
Senior Researcher and Lecturer
Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

 +41 (0) 58 934 46 86
 yann.blumer@zhaw.ch