Mot en cirkulär ekonomi: En studie om attityder, drivkrafter och barriärer

Sammanfattning: Unsustainable consumption is today an acknowledged global problem which is set to only get worse unless major changes take place. Our society is based on a linear model where unlimited resources serve as fuel for increased consumption. Even though awareness among consumers is growing, there are still many consumers who are unaware of the effects of their consumption on the environment. However, the consumer will play a crucial role in the transition to a sustainable circular economy where resources and material consumption is reduced so that we can live within the limits of our planet. Nonetheless, we know very little about consumers’ attitudes towards consumption concepts and products that support the circular economy: second-hand, renting and sharing. The goal of this study is to examine consumer attitudes, motivations and barrier to such concepts for different furnishing products. Interviews and a survey are used as methods for data collection. The study is conducted in collaboration with IKEA, which provided access to IKEA Family's customer panel as the studied population. Qualitative content analysis and compilation of quantitative data is the basis of the empirical material. The study shows that attitudes towards the various consumption concepts differ widely depending on the product. Generally the attitudes towards second-hand furniture are positive, even though hygiene and a preference for new products are barriers for second-hand products. The biggest motivations for purchasing second-hand furniture are economic factors and the pursuit of uniqueness. Attitudes are negative when it comes to long-term renting of furniture, however, the attitudes are positive towards short-term renting solutions. Biggest barriers for renting furniture are economic and hygiene concerns, desire to own and lack of understanding when it comes to the benefit of the concept. Biggest drivers for renting are flexibility, temporality, economic and a chance to test products or to change furnishing more often. Products that are used seldom are more accepted to be shared. Biggest motivations to share products are economic, social and environmental. Biggest barriers are lack of access to the product, trust, hygiene, fear of conflict and impracticality.