Performing sustainability across socio-economic groups: Consumption, class and inequality in Norway

There is a pressing need for rapid sustainability transformations that are simultaneously fair and inclusive. Research has demonstrated how climate emissions to a large degree follow patterns of income levels and lifestyles. Still broader sustainability discourses tend to ignore uncomfortable questions regarding inequality and class. This paper seeks to shed light on inequality dynamics in sustainability research, exploring how sustainability is understood and performed at the household level, how these dynamics are differentiated across income groups, and what potential tensions may arise across class. The analysis is based on extensive qualitative interviews and workshops with low-, middle- and high-income groups in Norway. Drawing on practice-theoretical approaches and the concepts of habitus, bounded creativity and consumption work, we examine the material, social and bodily factors that shape sustainability performances. Our findings demonstrate significant variations across the three socio-economic groups: how sustainability is understood and motivated; the amount of consumption work considered manageable; and differences in ecological habitus that create class-specific boundaries around what was considered appropriate and doable in terms of sustainability performances. The research further underscores the necessity of incorporating a class-sensitive lens into sustainability discussions and policies, which is vital for a sustainability transformation that does not perpetuate existing social hierarchies.