Uncovering the inhibitors of mindful consumption for a sustainable future: A total interpretive structural modelling and MICMAC approach

Unsustainable consumption has intensified global crises despite increasing sustainability efforts by government bodies, environmental institutions, businesses and growing consumer awareness of mindful consumption practices. However, the visibility of such practices remains limited, highlighting that consumers struggle to transfer their awareness into mindful actions for consumption. This concept's cultural and psychological traits make its inhibitors very complex to understand. Since mindful consumption is crucial for achieving the 12th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), this study explores the factors that inhibit consumers from consuming mindfully. Moreover, to understand the contextual interrelationships among these inhibitors with a hierarchy to provide better redressals to mindless consumption. A comprehensive review of mindful consumption literature was conducted to unearth these inhibitors, followed by twenty-three expert interviews. Fifteen inhibitors have been identified and further examined using the total interpretive structural modelling (TISM) technique and Matrice Impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliquée à un Classement (MICMAC) analysis. Results revealed the hierarchical paradigm with seven levels for these fifteen inhibitors and contextual interrelationships among them. The two significant transitivity between "cultural erosion" and "bounded rationality", and "disconnected from nature" and "lack of frugality" have been found. MICMAC analysis revealed "misleading product promotion" as the independent inhibitor driving the remaining inhibitors. "Automaticity habit" and "cognitive dissonance" are highly dependent inhibitors driven by other factors. The strategies and action plan have been proposed in four dimensions to manage the identified inhibitors, advancing sustainability by integrating mindful consumption into both corporate practices and policy frameworks.