An empirical study into the accordance of zero-waste lifestyle with consumer purchasing attitudes and behaviours

The consumerist lifestyle pursued by most of society has been conducive to environmental pollution, with bad consumer habits and rapidly changing trends contributing to the problem. One emerging trend among some eco-sensitive consumers is a zero-waste lifestyle premised on maximum reduction of generated waste. The article aims to verify the accordance of a zero-waste lifestyle with the actual purchasing attitudes and behaviours of consumers, as well as identify the stimulants and destimulants of the concept. The survey was conducted in Poland in 2023 on a sample of 1000 respondents using the CATI method. Consumers are no strangers to behaviour reflecting a zero-waste lifestyle. More than 80% of the respondents reduce consumption, find a new home for unnecessary items, recycle, reuse, and repair them. Slightly less often, consumers act preemptively, that is, they first contemplate the need to purchase a given good and eventually abandon the idea. The purchasing behaviour of zero-waste lifestyle advocating consumers is well thought out, planned and rational. In contrast, those who like to make purchases, mainly in shopping malls, and are fond of buying gadgets and brand-name products, are not enthusiasts of zero-waste lifestyle. The high scale of pro-environmental and responsible consumer purchasing attitudes and behaviours should be leveraged as a guideline in developing product and promotional strategies, emphasising educational outreach and disseminating information on consumers’ propensity to reduce waste. Support for zero-waste lifestyle initiatives should become integral to these efforts. Further raising of awareness and recognition of the forms of behaviour destimulating such a lifestyle is essential. A clear understanding of behaviours fitting into zero-waste lifestyle realisation, including pro-ecological and responsible consumer attitudes, is of key relevance to economic practitioners and policymakers seeking to implement a sustainable approach to consumption and waste reduction.