TY - JOUR
T1 - The impact of business sufficiency strategies on consumer practices: The case of bicycle subscription
AU - Niessen, Laura
AU - Bocken, Nancy
AU - Dijk, Marc
N1 - data source:
PY - 2023/1
Y1 - 2023/1
N2 - To stay within planetary boundaries, we need to move into sustainable levels of resource consumption, or sufficiency. Businesses can play a key role in driving sufficiency as they satisfy and also create demand. This article investigates how a bicycle subscription company can promote sufficiency among its users, with a focus on modal shift and product care. It aims to fill the research gap on how business sufficiency strategies impact actual consumption, while also providing insights into the less studied business model of bicycle subscription. User mobility patterns and care behaviour are analysed through the lens of social practice theory. Using the subscription, many users experience a modal shift towards cycling, mostly replacing public transport, walking and car journeys. Around half of the respondents also cycle longer distances and more frequently than before the subscription. Yet, users might stop cycling after the subscription, often due to moving to areas with a poor cycling infrastructure. Concerning product longevity, subscribers differ, with some taking good care of the vehicle and others being less careful. The research shows some advances towards sufficiency but also highlights the limits of one company's actions and the importance of structural changes to promote sufficient consumption.
AB - To stay within planetary boundaries, we need to move into sustainable levels of resource consumption, or sufficiency. Businesses can play a key role in driving sufficiency as they satisfy and also create demand. This article investigates how a bicycle subscription company can promote sufficiency among its users, with a focus on modal shift and product care. It aims to fill the research gap on how business sufficiency strategies impact actual consumption, while also providing insights into the less studied business model of bicycle subscription. User mobility patterns and care behaviour are analysed through the lens of social practice theory. Using the subscription, many users experience a modal shift towards cycling, mostly replacing public transport, walking and car journeys. Around half of the respondents also cycle longer distances and more frequently than before the subscription. Yet, users might stop cycling after the subscription, often due to moving to areas with a poor cycling infrastructure. Concerning product longevity, subscribers differ, with some taking good care of the vehicle and others being less careful. The research shows some advances towards sufficiency but also highlights the limits of one company's actions and the importance of structural changes to promote sufficient consumption.
KW - Sufficiency
KW - SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION
KW - Bicycle subscription
KW - circular business model
KW - Social practice theory
U2 - 10.1016/j.spc.2022.12.007
DO - 10.1016/j.spc.2022.12.007
M3 - Article
SN - 2352-5509
VL - 35
SP - 576
EP - 591
JO - Sustainable Production and Consumption
JF - Sustainable Production and Consumption
ER -