Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Anything Worth Doing: The Ambiguity of Values in Sustainable Luxury

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Sustainable Management of Luxury

  • 2875 Accesses

Abstract

The 21st century is believed to be the rise of the ethical consumer who is concerned about a broad spectrum of issues ranging from the environment and animal welfare to societal concerns, including human rights. Ethical and environmental consumerism is regarded as a mainstream phenomenon in contemporary consumer culture related to all product categories and continues to build momentum around the world. Existing research finds evidence that even the average consumer prefers e.g., fair trade coffee and chocolate, organic cotton and cosmetics produced without animal testing. The ethical buyer, who is “shopping for a better world”, is increasingly concerned about the consequences of consumption and “intents to make certain consumption choices due to personal and moral beliefs and values”. Since the consumption of luxury provides the possibility to express the deepest values, there appears to be a close association to the concept of ethical consumerism. Nevertheless, a critical perspective on the economic reality supports the assumption that there exists an enormous gap between articulated individual values and behavioral intention and actual shopping behavior. Against this backdrop, the following key question has arisen: Is the ethical consumer little more than a myth? To shed light on this important question with special focus on the luxury market, in our paper, we investigate the relationship between (a) the set of core values and norms guiding consumer behavior defined as “desirable goals, varying in importance, that serve as guiding principles in peoples’ lives” (Schwartz in J Soc Issues 50(4):19–45, 1994, p. 21) with special focus on environmental orientation on the one hand and (b) dimensions of customer perceived value understood as the “consumer’s overall assessment of the utility of a product (or service) based on perceptions of what is received and what is given” (Zeithaml in J Mark 52(3):2–22, 1988, p. 14) on the other hand. We suggest that customers’ general ethical and environmental orientation is translated into actual consumer behavior as represented by the demand for sustainable excellence in all business practices. Only if consumers perceive superior value reflected in all respects of a certain brand or product, they are willing to bridge the gap between basic ethical value orientation and actual ethical consumption.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. 1.

    The Free and Real project serves as an example for this kind of lifestyle. Their «Telaithrion Project» hopes to put in actual perspective, that a self-sufficient sustainable society that is based on true incentives and selfless giving, can exist, and that can be applied to practice in everyday life, and that even if the entire culture of humanity adopted it could flourish. (Free and Real, n.d.).

References

  • Ahtola OT (1984) Price as a ‘give’ component in an exchange theoretic multicomponent model. Adv Consum Res 11(1):623–636

    Google Scholar 

  • American Express Publishing’s Luxury Summit (2012) American express publishing luxury summit. Available via http://conzepts.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/American-Express-LUXURY-Summit-2012-White-Paper-Report.pdf. Accessed 20 Mar 2016

  • Andreoni J (1989) Giving with impure altruism: applications to charity and Ricardian equivalence. J Polit Econ 97(6):1447–1458

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andreoni J (1990) Impure altruism and donations to public goods: a theory of warm-glowing giving. ECON J 100(401):464–477

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baker S, Thompson KE, Engelken J et al (2004) Mapping the values driving organic food choice. Eur J Mark 38(8):995–1012

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barnett C, Cloke P, Clarke N et al (2005) Consuming ethics: articulating the subjects and spaces of ethical consumption. Antipode 37(1):23–45

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bastien V, Kapferer JN (2013) More on luxury anti-laws of marketing. In: Wiedmann KP, Hennigs N (eds) Luxury marketing. A challenge for theory and practice. Springer, Wiesbaden, pp 20–34

    Google Scholar 

  • BBC (2002) Gap hit by ‘sweatshop’ protests. BBC NEWS. Available via http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2497957.stm. Accessed 20 Mar 2016

  • Belk RW (1988) Possessions and the extended self. J Consum Res 15(2):139–168

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bendell J, Kleanthous A (2007) Deeper luxury: quality and style when the world matters. Available via http://www.wwf.org.uk/deeperluxury/. Accessed 25 Feb 2016

  • Bhaduri G, Ha-Brookshire JE (2011) Do transparent business practices pay? Exploration of transparency and consumer purchase intention. Cloth Textiles Res J 29(2):135–149

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blevis E, Makice K, Odom W et al (2007) Luxury & new luxury, quality & equality. In: Proceedings of the 2007 conference on designing pleasurable products and interfaces, Helsinki

    Google Scholar 

  • Botonaki A, Polymeros K, Tsakiridou E et al (2006) The role of food quality certification on consumers’ food choices. Brit Food J 108(2):77–90

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boyce RR, Brown TC, McClelland GH et al (1992) An experimental examination of intrinsic values as a source of the WTA-WTP disparity. Am Econ Rev 82(5):1366–1373

    Google Scholar 

  • Brundtland G (1987) Report of the world commission on environment and development: our common future. Available via http://www.un-documents.net/our-common-future.pdf. Accessed 25 Feb 2016

  • Campbell S, Li C (2003) Per capita consumption, luxury consumption and the presidential puzzle: a partial resolution. Brown University, Department of Economics

    Google Scholar 

  • Capaldi C, Dopko RL, Zelenski JM (2014) The relationship between nature connectedness and happiness: a meta-analysis. Front Psychol 5(2014):1–15

    Google Scholar 

  • Carrigan M, Attalla A (2001) The myth of the ethical consumer-do ethics matter in purchase behaviour? J Consum Mark 18(7):560–578

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cervellon MC, Wernerfeldt AS (2012) Knowledge sharing among green fashion communities online: lessons for the sustainable supply chain. JFMM 16(2):176–192

    Google Scholar 

  • Cho Y (2012) Consumers value orientations and green advertising effectiveness: the moderating role of public self-awareness. Dissertation, The Graduate School of the University of Oregon

    Google Scholar 

  • Chryssohoidis GM, Krystallis A (2005) Organic consumers’ personal values research: testing and validating the list of values (LOV) scale and implementing a value-based segmentation task. Food Qual Prefer 16(7):585–599

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cialdini R, Brown S, Lewis B et al (1997) Reinterpreting the empathy–altruism relationship: when one into one equals oneness. J Pers Soc Psychol 73(3):481–494

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Corral-Verdugo V, García C, Castro L et al (2010) Equity and sustainable lifestyles. In: Corral-Verdugo V, García C, Frías M (eds) Psychological approaches to sustainability. Nova Science Publishers, New York, pp 185–204

    Google Scholar 

  • Corral-Verdugo V, Mireles-Acosta J, Tapia-Fonllem C et al (2011) Happiness as correlate of sustainable behavior: a study of pro-ecological, frugal, equitable and altruistic actions that promote subjective wellbeing. Hum Ecol Rev 18(2):95–104

    Google Scholar 

  • Coste-Maniére I, Mukta R, Sudeep C et al (2016) Long-term sustainable sustainability in luxury. Where else? In: Gardetti MA, Muthu SS (eds) Handbook of sustainable luxury textiles and fashion. Springer Singapore, pp 17–34

    Google Scholar 

  • Davies IA, Lee Z, Ahonkhai I (2012) Do consumers care about ethical luxury? J Bus Ethics 106(1):37–51

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dawes RM (1980) Social dilemmas. Annu Rev Psychol 31(1):169–193

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Groot JI, Steg L (2008) Value orientations to explain beliefs related to environmental significant behavior how to measure egoistic, altruistic, and biospheric value orientations. Environ Behav 40(3):330–354

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Groot JI, Steg L (2009) Mean or green: which values can promote stable pro-environmental behavior? Conserv Lett 2(2):61–66

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Pelsmacker P, Driesen L, Rayp G (2005) Do consumer care abour ethics? Willingness to pay for fair-trade coffee. J Consum Aff 39(2):363–385

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Young R (1991) Some psychological aspects of living lightly: desired lifestyle patterns and conservation behavior. J Environ Syst 20(3):215–227

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Young R (1996) Some psychological aspects of a reduced consumption lifestyle: the role of intrinsic satisfaction and competence motivation. Environ Behav 28(3):358–409

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Devinney T, Auger P, Eckhardt GM (2010) The myth of the ethical consumer. Cambridge University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Dietz T, Fitzgerald A, Shwom R (2005) Environmental values. Annu Rev Env Resour 30:335–372

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dunlap R, Van Liere K (1978) The “new environmental paradigm”: a proposed measuring instrument for environmental quality. Soc Sci Quart 65:1013–1028

    Google Scholar 

  • Ehrlich P, Ehrlich A (2004) One with Niniveh. Politics, consumption and the human future. Shearwater Books, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Fien J, Tilbury D (2002) The global challenge of sustainability. In: Tilbury D, Stevenson RB, Fien J et al (eds) Education and sustainability: responding to the global challenge, Switzerland, pp 1–12

    Google Scholar 

  • Franzen A, Meyer R (2010) Environmental attitudes in cross-national perspective: a multilevel analysis of the ISSP 1993 and 2000. Eur Sociol Rev 26(2):219–234

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Free and real (n.d.) The Telaithrion project. Available via http://en.telaithrion.freeandreal.org/#!/project/. Accessed 18 Mar 2016

  • Geller ES (1995) Actively caring for the environment an integration of behaviorism and humanism. Environ Behav 27(2):184–195

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Girón ME (2014) Sustainable luxury: stories from the pioneers. In: Gardetti MA, Girón ME (eds) Sustainable luxury and social entrepreneurship: stories from the pioneers. Greenleaf Publishing, Sheffield, pp 1–21

    Google Scholar 

  • Grail Research (2010) Green—the new color of luxury: moving to a sustainable future. Available via http://www.grailresearch.com/pdf/Blog/2010-Dec-Grail-Research-Green-The-New-Color-of-Luxury_244.pdf. Accessed 25 Mar 2016

  • Griskevicius V, Tybur JM, Van den Bergh B (2010) Going green to be seen: status, reputation, and conspicuous conservation. J Pers Soc Psychol 98(3):392–404

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harper GC, Makatouni A (2002) Consumer perception of organic food production and farm animal welfare. Brit Food J 104(3/4/5):287–299

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrison R, Newholm T, Shaw D (2005) The ethical consumer. Sage Publications, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Hennigs N, Klarmann C, Behrens S et al (2013) Sustainability as part of the luxury essence: delivering value through social and environmental excellence. JCC 52:25–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Howard JA, Woodside AG (1984) Personal values affecting consumer psychology. In: Pitts RE, Woodside AG (eds) Personal values and consumer psychology. Lexington Books, Lexington, MA, pp 3–12

    Google Scholar 

  • Howell AJ, Dopko RL, Passmore HA et al (2011) Nature connectedness: associations with well-being and mindfulness. Pers Indiv Differ 51(2):166–171

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Husic M, Cicic M (2009) Luxury consumption factors. JFMM 13(2):231–245

    Google Scholar 

  • Inglehart R (1995) Public support for environmental protection: objective problems and subjective values in 43 societies. Polit Sci Polit 28(01):57–72

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iwata O (2001) Attitudinal determinants of environmentally responsible behavior. Soc Behav Personal 29(2):183–190

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins R (2004) Social identity, 2nd edn. Routledge, London

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kapferer JN (2010) All that glitters is not green: the challenge of sustainable luxury. Eur Bus Rev 40–45

    Google Scholar 

  • Kapferer JN (2015) Kapferer on luxury. How luxury brands can grow yet remain rare. Kogan Page, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Kapferer JN, Michaut A (2015) Luxury and sustainability: a common future? The match depends on how consumers define luxury. LRJ 1(1):3–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kellert SR, Wilson EO (1993) The biophilia hypothesis. Island Press, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Konietzko J, van Woersem Y, Simpson J (2014) Feel good fashion, published by Rank a Brand. http://rankabrand.org/static/FeelGoodFashion_2014_Summary.pdf

  • Kouba M (2003) Quality of organic animal products. Livest Prod Sci 80(1):33–40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lea E, Worsley T (2005) Australians’ organic food beliefs, demographics and values. Brit Food J 107(11):855–869

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lim WM, Ting DH, Khoo PT et al (2012) Understanding consumer values and socialization—a case of luxury products. Manag Mark 7(2):209–220

    Google Scholar 

  • Lynn M (1991) Scarcity effects on value: a quantitative review of the commodity theory literature. Psychol Market 8(1):43–57

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayer FS, Frantz CM (2004) The connectedness to nature scale: a measure of individuals’ feeling in community with nature. J Environ Psychol 24(4):503–515

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCarty JA, Shrum LJ (1994) The recycling of solid wastes: personal values, value orientations, and attitudes about recycling as antecedents of recycling behavior. J Bus Res 30(1):53–62

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McClintock CG, Allison ST (1989) Social value orientation and helping Behavior. J Appl Soc Psychol 19(4):353–362

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Menges R (2003) Supporting renewable energy on liberalized markets: green electricity between additionality and consumer sovereignty. Energ Policy 31(7):583–596

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Messick DM, Brewer MB (1983) Solving social dilemmas. Pers Soc Psychol Rev 4(1):11–44

    Google Scholar 

  • Monroe KB, Krishnan R (1985) The effect of price on subjective product evaluations. In: Jacoby J, Olson J (eds) The perception of merchandise and store quality. Lexington Books, Lexington, pp 209–232

    Google Scholar 

  • Muncy JA, Vitell SJ (1992) Consumer ethics: an investigation of the ethical beliefs of the final consumer. J Bus Res 24(4):297–311

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Myers D (2000) The funds, friends, and faith of happy people. Am Psychol 55(1):56–67

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nueno JL, Quelch JA (1998) The mass marketing of luxury. Bus Horizons 41(6):61–68

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nunes PA, Schokkaert E (2003) Identifying the warm glow effect in contingent valuation. J Environ Econ Manag 45(2):231–245

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parks CD (1994) The predictive ability of social values in resource dilemmas and public-goods games. Pers Soc Psychol B 20(4):431–438

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pascaud L (2011) Could sustainability be the future of luxury? Available via http://added-value.com/could-sustainability-be-the-future-of-luxury/. Accessed 25 Feb 2016

  • Pereira M, Forster PM (2015) The relationship between connectedness to nature, environmental values, and pro-environmental behaviours. Reinvention: Int J Undergraduate Res 8(2). Available via http://eprints.worc.ac.uk/4081/5/Nature_proofed_final-2.pdf. Accessed 26 Mar 2016

  • Pino G, Peluso AM, Gianluigi G (2012) Determinants of regular and occasional consumers’ intentions to buy organic food. J Consum Aff 46(1):157–169

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pitts RE, Woodside AG (1984) Personal values and consumer psychology. Lexington Books, Lexington

    Google Scholar 

  • Pol E (2002) The theoretical background of the city-identity-sustainability network. Environ Behav 34(1):8–25

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Radder L, Han X (2015) An examination of the museum experience based on Pine and Gilmore’s experience economy realms. J Appl Bus Res 31(2):455–469

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richins ML, Dawson S (1992) A consumer values orientation for materialism and its measurement: scale development and validation. J Consum Res 19(3):303–316

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ritov I, Kahnemann D (1997) How people value the environment. Attitudes versus economic values. In: Bazermann MHDM, Messick AE, Tenbrunsel KA et al (eds) Environment, ethics, and behavior. New Lexington Press, San Francisco, pp 33–51

    Google Scholar 

  • Rokeach M (1968) Beliefs, attitudes and values: a theory of organization and change. Jossey Bass, San Francisco

    Google Scholar 

  • Rokeach M (1973) The nature of human values. Free press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Roobottom HE (2004) A proposed investigation into core value systems as predictors of ecotourist choice and behaviour, proceedings of Anzmac December 2004, Wellington, NZ. Available via http://www98.griffith.edu.au/dspace/bitstream/handle/10072/2356/25720_1.pdf;jsessionid=F20A249BA21B0716EFE46954129DFC67?sequence=1. Accessed 25 Mar 2016

  • Roszak T (1995) Where psyche meet Gaia. In: Roszak T, Gomes ME, Kanner AD (eds) Ecopsychology: restoring the earth, healing the mind. Sierra Club Books, San Francisco

    Google Scholar 

  • Sangkumchaliang P, Huang WC (2012) Consumers’ perceptions and attitudes of organic food products in Northern Thailand. Int Food Agribus Man 15(1):87–102

    Google Scholar 

  • Sarasin (2012) The quest for authenticity—can luxury brands justify a premium price? Bank Sarasin & Co., Basel. Available via http://www.longfinance.net/images/reports/pdf/sarasin_luxurygoods_2012.pdf. Accessed 25 Mar 2016

  • Schifferstein HN, Ophuis PAMO (1998) Health-related determinants of organic food consumption in the Netherlands. Food Qual Prefer 9(3):119–133

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt S, Hennigs N, Behrens S et al (2016) The luxury of sustainability: examining value-based drivers of fair trade consumption. In: Muthu SS, Gardetti MA (eds) Handbook of sustainable luxury textiles and fashion. Springer, Singapore, pp 121–136

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Schultz PW (2000) Empathizing with nature: the effects of perspective taking on concern for environmental issues. J Soc Issues 56(3):391–406

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schultz PW (2002) Inclusion with nature: the psychology of human-nature relations. In: Schmuck P, Schultz WP (eds) Psychology of sustainable development. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, pp 61–78

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz SH (1994) Are there universal aspects in the structure and contents of human values? J Soc Issues 50(4):19–45

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz SH (1977) Normative influences on altruism. In: Berkowitz L (eds) Advances in experimental social psychology. Academic Press, New York, pp 221–279

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheth JN, Newman BI, Gross BL (1991) Why we buy what we buy: a theory of consumption values. J Bus Res 22(2):159–170

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson A (2012) Luxury: the new epitome of green values? Available via green futures. http://www.forumforthefuture.org/greenfutures/articles/luxury-new-epitome-green-values. Accessed 25 Feb 2016

  • Smith JB, Colgate M (2007) Customer value creation: a practical framework. JMTP 15(1):7–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Squires L, Biljana J, Cornwell TB (2001) Level of market development and intensity of organic food consumption: cross-cultural study of Danish and New Zealand consumers. J Consum Mark 18(5):392–409

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steg L (2003) Motives and behavior in social dilemmas relevant to the environment. In: Hendrickx L, Jager W, Steg L (eds) Human decision making and environmental perception: understanding and assisting human decision making in real-life settings. University of Groningen, Groningen, pp 83–102

    Google Scholar 

  • Stern PC, Dietz T (1994) The value basis of environmental concern. J Soc Issues 50(3):65–84

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stern PC, Dietz T, Kalof L (1993) Value orientation, gender, and environmental concern. Environ Behav 25(3):322–348

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sweeney JC, Soutar GN (2001) Consumer perceived value: the development of a multiple item scale. J Retail 77(2):203–220

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson SCG, Barton MA (1994) Ecocentric and anthropocentric attitudes toward the environment. J Environ Psychol 14(2):149–157

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tregear A, Dent JB, McGregor MJ (1994) The demand for organically grown produce. Brit Food J 96(4):21–25

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsai SP (2005) Impact of personal orientation on luxury-brand purchase value. Int J Market Res 47(4):429–454

    Google Scholar 

  • Van der Werff E, Steg L, Keizer K (2013) The value of environmental self-identity: the relationship between biospheric values, environmental self-identity and environmental preferences, intentions and behaviour. J Environ Psychol 34:55–63

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Lange PAM (2000) Cooperation and competition. In: Kazdin AE (ed) Encyclopedia of psychology, 2nd edn. American Psychological Association & Oxford University Press Washington, pp 296–300

    Google Scholar 

  • Wiedmann KP, Hennigs N, Siebels A (2007) Measuring consumers’ luxury value perception. Acad Mark Sci Rev 11(7):1–21

    Google Scholar 

  • Wiedmann KP, Hennigs N, Siebels A (2009) Value-based segmentation of luxury consumption behaviour. Psychol Market 26(7):625–651

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams PRD, Hammitt JK (2001) Perceived risks of conventional and organic produce: pesticides, pathogens and natural toxins. Risk Anal 21(2):319–330

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zanoli R, Naspetti S (2002) Consumer motivations in the purchase of organic food: a means-end approach. Brit Food J 104(8):643–653

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zeithaml VA (1988) Consumer perceptions of price, quality, and value: a means-end model and synthesis of evidence. J Mark 52(3):2–22

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Marketing and Management, Leibniz University of Hannover, Koenigsworther Platz 1, 30167, Hannover, Germany

    Nadine Hennigs, Evmorfia Karampournioti & Klaus-Peter Wiedmann

Authors
  1. Nadine Hennigs
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Evmorfia Karampournioti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Klaus-Peter Wiedmann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Evmorfia Karampournioti .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Studies on Sustainable Luxury , Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Miguel Angel Gardetti

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Hennigs, N., Karampournioti, E., Wiedmann, KP. (2017). Anything Worth Doing: The Ambiguity of Values in Sustainable Luxury. In: Gardetti, M. (eds) Sustainable Management of Luxury. Environmental Footprints and Eco-design of Products and Processes. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-2917-2_21

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation