Open Collections

Parker, Ariele

University of British Columbia

The sustainable product market has experienced steady growth in the past decade in North America. It is estimated that this market could hit USD150 billion in the United States by the end of 2021 (Gelski, 2019). In Canada, 74% of consumers consider sustainability an important factor when making purchases (Ranken, 2019). The COVID-19 pandemic initiates a new round of dialogue of sustainable consumption and community resilience. The changing work-life pattern and the disrupted local and global supply chain forced both market agents and consumers to establish new strategies and practices to sustain and survive during the global pandemic. In this thesis, I seek to answer the primary research question: How do marketers and consumers develop resilience through sustainable marketing and consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic? This research has been conducted in partnership with a local lifestyle brand based in the Okanagan region of British Columbia. The objectives of this research study include: (i) to identify market needs for sustainable goods in the Okanagan; (ii) to investigate the consumption of sustainable goods in the Okanagan; (iii) to examine the process of sourcing sustainable goods during the pandemic, and (iv) to examine the development of community and organizational resilience during the pandemic. Through a study consisting of interviews and participatory action research, I examine the new roles of marketers and consumers through the conceptualization of sustainability, pro-environmental and pro-social production and consumption that reflect the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 12 (Responsible consumption and production). Our findings show that pro-social and pro-environmental consumers actively considered themselves as the “ambassadors” of sustainable and local products during the pandemic. Many local businesses also created innovative strategies to engage local and regional partners to pursue the sustainable goals during the pandemic. Building on the recent literature on pro-environmental and pro-social movements, my present research introduces the conceptions of organizational sustainability and community sustainability. These concepts reflect both interactions between market agents, consumers and other community and market stakeholders on new product designs from recycling, upcycling, green consumption to zero waste, and sustainable lifestyles.

Text

2023-04-30

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/81451

Interdisciplinary Studies

University of British Columbia

UBCO

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/