Mistra Sustainable Consumption

Research Project, 2022 – 2025

The overarching aim of this research programme is to stimulate a transition to sustainable consumption in Sweden and beyond, by contributing knowledge on how sustainable consumption practices can become mainstream. In the second phase, we will continue our research on mainstreaming but delve deeper into the complexities, conflicts and specific institutional contexts in which transitions are embedded, explore the larger macro-economic effects of mainstreaming and provide further empirical knowledge on transitions based on real-life-testing of policy measures in
collaboration with partners. The objective of Phase 2 is to identify and analyse strategies for handling or making use of the complexities, conflicts, indirect effects, hands-on challenges and underlying values that are associated with sustainable consumption niches.
The research will be organised into four main work packages that explore the following: 1) how digital and physical infrastructure, in interaction with carriers of practices, affects sustainable consumption (WP Practice), 2) what governance approaches and policy measures can further the goal of mainstreaming sustainable consumption (WP Policy), 3) how organisations, citizen-consumers and decision-makers frame knowledge about sustainable consumption and what role such framings play for transformation (WP frames), and 4) what broader societal effects measures and policies for sustainable consumption have on the environment and people (WP Effects). In addition, there will also be a work package that gathers activities that have been transferred from the first phase of the programme (WP Phase one).
Three thematic areas – eating, homemaking and vacationing – will be in focus, and these are the domains where the case studies will be conducted. However, in certain WPs we will also analyse more general consumption. To ensure a useful meta-analysis and cooperation between the various work packages, a synthesising WP will involve all researchers in joint activities. By the end of 2025 we expect to have 1) tested, evaluated and laid the groundwork for concrete changes towards mainstreaming sustainable consumption practices in Sweden, 2) contributed new knowledge to the body of international research, and 3) disseminated our research results beyond academia, where they will be used by relevant stakeholders. In order to attain these goals, there is also a work package dedicated to communication.