Psychological and Systemic Factors Influencing Behaviour in Circular Consumption Systems. Lessons from the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods and Apparel Industries

To address the pressing issue of waste accumulation and material intensity, there is an urgent need to introduce circular consumption systems, i.e., a combination of products, services and processes, which extend the utility of resources. The successful deployment of a circular consumption system is dependent on the consumer adopting a circular behaviour, such as repair, reuse and recycling. Circular behaviour is determined by various factors that are either psychological or systemic. Psychological factors relate to human psychology, a key influencer of consumer decisions. Systemic factors relate to physical and digital system elements such as products, infrastructure, instructions and incentives, facilitating the consumer interaction with the circular consumption system. Both sets of factors require close consideration when designing and implementing consumer journeys. Many of the existing circular consumption systems are novel and experimental and are not yet widely adopted by consumers. With circular consumption systems requiring the implementation of new behaviours, it is paramount that all key psychological and systemic factors are considered and understood by businesses in order to improve the likelihood of achieving consumer-system interactions that foster a circular economy. Using the fast-moving consumer goods and apparel industries as examples, this chapter illustrates how the consideration of the psychological and systemic factors in the design of circular consumption systems can promote the adoption of circular behaviour. This chapter emphasises that both consumer psychology and the environment play a critical role in guiding consumer journeys through circular consumption systems.