Veranstaltungsprogramm der VHB Jahrestagung

The circular economy (CE) concept represents a major paradigm shift for sustainable development in business and policy, while creating the opportunity for economic growth. Circular startups play an increasingly important role in implementing CE in the market. In this study, we take a mixed methods approach to better understand circular business model design in a preliminary quantitative study, i.e., a survey sent out to circular startup entrepreneurs. We find that from the 27 valid responses, intrinsic motivation is superficially important, whereas a positive impact, social responsibility and a positive influence on the environment are considered most relevant. In the subsequent qualitative study, we interviewed eight circular startup founders to identify their understanding of circularity in their personal life and from a founder’s perspective as well as their motivations and values. We find that the following key values and motivational factors were particularly relevant: (1) environmental impact, (2) social responsibility, and (3) need of achievement. With our study, we contribute to circular entrepreneurship theory and practice by developing five propositions that inform researchers as well as practitioners and policymakers to encourage circular startup foundations and offer avenues for future research to further test these propositions.

This study investigates the attitude-behavior gap in the context of ethical fashion consumption. Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior we conduct a comparative analysis of N=1000 German consumers differentiated into two groups: 1) consumers who despite having ethical attitudes do not consume ethically and 2) ethical shoppers. A survey is employed including a best-worst scaling experimental methodology and a logistic regression analysis is conducted to reassess the relevance of previously identified ethical consumption barriers. Our findings reveal that the majority of the hitherto attested barriers do not increase the likelihood of the attitude-behavior gap and, thus, cannot be classified as purchasing barriers. Specifically, we highlight the relevance of overt behavioral controls for the explanatory power of the Theory of Planned Behavior in the context of ethical fashion consumption. Our findings contribute to the ethical consumption discourse and general consumer research by differentiating the attitude-behavior gap both theoretically and empirically.

The article highlights the critical role of sustainable consumption in addressing environmental challenges. While interest in sustainable goods is growing, there remains a gap between consumer attitudes and actual purchasing behavior, which raises questions about the factors that influence sustainable consumption. This article focuses on income inequality as a key determinant. It posits that the distribution of income in a society influences how people spend money on sustainable products. It suggests that individuals in more unequal societies may feel less responsible for environmental outcomes and therefore have lower sustainable norms and consumption levels. Using a multi-study design, the preliminary results support the general idea of a negative effect of income inequality on sustainable consumption.