Transitioning Towards (Un)Sustainable Consumption Practices: The COVID-19 Disruption as Facilitator of Pathways Towards Sustainability?

The global Covid-19 crisis disrupted existing lifestyles forcing people to rethink daily routines. But, every crisis also offers opportunities for change. Amidst environmental breakdown, attempts to shift unsustainable levels of consumption have been both slow and insufficient. In this study, we explore changes in consumption practices in Brazil during Covid-19 through applying Spaargaren’s Social Practice Model as a theoretical lens. We apply a broad set of methodological tools to interrogate the potential of the health crisis to shift (un)sustainable consumption patterns, adding to the wider sustainability and behavioural transition literature. Our findings suggest that a growing awareness of environmental issues was triggered during the Covid-19 disruption, and motivations to change existing practices emerged. However, initial shifts in consumer practices were absorbed by emerging online systems of provision that facilitated continuous unsustainable consumption patterns. Motivations to shift consumption only tend to translate into shift in consumption when active support was provided.