Environmentally responsible consumption: Construct definition, scale development, and validation

Most environmental problems are rooted in human behaviour, especially consumption. While not consuming is not an option, it would help if all consumption could be measured for environmental responsibility. This study conceptualizes and operationalizes environmentally responsible consumption (ERC), and develops a standardized scale for measuring the same. Depth interviews, blog data analysis, and customer surveys were conducted to develop a standardized 38-item ERC scale that captures ten unique behaviours pertaining to acquisition, use, and disposal. The scale is an improvement over available measures and compares favourably on several key parameters. The ERC scale could be potentially used by governmental and non-governmental bodies, policymakers, and environmental groups, for gaining insights into current consumption behaviours of the general public or specific target groups, identifying specific behaviour/s that need improvement, and targeting and tracking such behaviours over time. It could also be used by businesses for identifying opportunities in green products and/or services.