a result, by introducing meaning to consumption to respond to greater social values, the socially responsible engagement of consumers and online communities seems to play a disruptive role while invigorating the market-oriented system. This phenomenon is as susceptible to having a “regulatory” impact on the market system by disciplining its by-products, as it is to triggering a reconsideration of the unsustainable behaviors of individuals and organizations. It is also a catalyst of responsible innovations in both marketing strategies and the redesign of analytical frameworks and tools to support its development, structuring and regulation.
On the other hand, there are still a number of difficulties that hinder the generalization of sustainable consumption practices, owing to their cost (the price of green products), their limited accessibility (transfer from the producer) and a lack of related information (the benefits of these products, tips for getting them for a lower price and less effort). These restrictions constitute avenues for improvement and fields of research with a view to making these alternative modes of consumption accessible to a greater number of people. With this in mind, the role of both the market sector (producers and retailers) and, especially, the non-market sector (public authorities and related fields) is crucial in imagining and implementing creative solutions to normalize these consumption practices.
In fact, the slowness of the generalization of these responsible consumption practices and the accessibility of these offerings risk keeping this movement as a fringe one, and even creating an attitude renouncing behavioral changes and opposition to the market-oriented ideology. The main reasons for this are linked to the clear imbalance of power (consumers versus the market system) that feeds doubts as to the effectiveness of socially responsible protest actions. Indeed, including the members of the community groups, less involved people remain dubious of the outcomes of their demands in terms of effective impact on the environment and on society, leading to periodic defections within the ranks.
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1 1 Monnot and Reniou (2013) believe that contestation is a medial element in a continuum, where the starting point would be a feeling of skepticism, conducting an expression of resistance as an end point.
2 2 SRR: Socially responsible resistance.
3 3 Available at: https://www.jeuneafrique.com/737259/economie/danone-des-resultats-annuels-enberne-au-maroc-en-raison-du-boycott-de-2018/.
4 4 The Buzz Indicator (BI) refers to the degree of involvement of the community members with a given topic, suggested by the breadth of participation around it (likes, comments and shares). In order to be selected, the BI must be higher than the average of the BIs for a “t” period (from the 1st to the 30th of each month).
5 5 Individuals who are part of a social group consciously and deliberately opposed to a dominant culture through individual or collective actions of varyling levels of visibility.
6 6 Available at: www.recup.net, “Providing a space for getting rid”.
2
Luxury and Sustainable Development: Companies and the Challenge of Overcoming Consumer Reluctance
Mohamed Akli ACHABOU1 and Sihem DEKHILI2
1 IPAG Business School, Paris, France
2 CNRS – BETA, University of Strasbourg, France
2.1. Introduction
Can the luxury sector still avoid its environmental and social obligations to society at a time when all other sectors of activity are facing increasing pressure from various stakeholders to tackle the challenges of sustainable development? In addition to strengthened environmental regulations and strong activism from non-governmental organizations (NGOs),