Convenient for me is not convenient for us: A collective-centric convenience mindset for a more sustainable future

While convenient experiences have become the epitome of modern consumption, this has led to ecological repercussions and serves as an underpinning driver of linear economies. To understand why this connection between convenience and environmental degradation is so strong, we examine convenience as a mindset, which affects our ways of being, thinking, and doing. The prevailing individual-centric convenience mindset is characterized by a focus on minimizing resource expenditure for personal benefits—often leading to short-term gratification—which inhibits the transition to regenerative circular economies. The individual-centric convenience mindset adheres to an outdated marketing perspective, emphasizing economic exchange rather than contemporary marketing that prioritizes value creation and seeks to extend benefits beyond individuals to society as a whole. The theorizing of convenience has accordingly failed to sufficiently evolve. To address this problem, we propose an alternative collective-centric convenience mindset grounded in stewardship principles, where individuals prioritize collective benefits and long-term sustainability over immediate personal gain. Our paper reviews and critiques current convenience conceptualizations and advocates for a paradigm shift toward a collective-centric approach. This study expands the theoretical scope of the convenience phenomenon from an individual-level phenomenon to the collective level. We contribute to the theoretical foundations of sustainability in marketing theory and practice by offering an alternative that aligns individual actions with broader societal and ecological imperatives.